The newest corvette of the Turkish Navy, Ada Class TCG Kınalıada F 514, is preparing for its longest journey. The ship will cruise to Japan and return in four months. Admiral Zeki Aktürk, press advisor of the Ministry of National Defence, gave information about TCG Kınalıada's overseas journey at today's press conference. Aktürk stated that the ship would cruise to Japan and return between April 8 and August 19 due to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Turkiye-Japan diplomatic relations and the 134th anniversary of the Ertuğrul Frigate's voyage to Japan. The ship will visit 24 ports in 20 countries. TCG Kınalıada (F 514) Corvette was designed to operate in inland seas per its mission. The ship has a range of approximately 4 thousand miles. The ship will travel approximately 20 thousand nautical miles from Turkiye to Japan. The corvette's tour also has a commercial purpose, as the vessel will be "shown off" to potential customers. Turkiye promotes its shipyards to Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries in the region.
The Ottoman Navy's frigate, Ertuğrul, was launched in 1863. The ship had been in service for 25 years and was overhauled soon before the voyage. While returning from a goodwill journey to Japan in 1890, she was caught in a typhoon off the Kushimoto coast of Wakayama Prefecture, drifted into a reef, and drowned. The shipwreck claimed the lives of around 500 sailors and commanders, including Rear Admiral Ali Osman Pasha. Only 69 sailors and commanders survived and sailed home aboard two Japanese corvettes. Today, the event is commemorated as a cornerstone of Japanese-Turkish friendship.
