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Ottoman destroyer Muavenet-i Milliye
Scrapped
Muavenet-i Milliye was a German-built destroyer acquired by the Ottoman Navy prior to World War I, funded in part through a public subscription campaign by the Ottoman Navy National Support Association. She is most famous for sinking the British pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Goliath during the Dardanelles Campaign, an action with outsized political consequences for the Allied war effort.
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Resources
+ Submit a resourceHistory & specifications
- Navypedia: Muavenet-i Milliye class destroyersWebsite
Technical data table for the four Muavenet-i Milliye class sister ships including armament modernization details useful for modelers.
- Wikipedia: Ottoman destroyer Muavenet-i MilliyeArticle
Comprehensive service history, specifications, and the famous sinking of HMS Goliath; primary reference for this ship.
Photos
- Wikimedia Commons: Muavenet-i Milliye.jpgPhoto
Public domain historical photograph of the destroyer, sourced from the George Eastman House Chusseau Flaviens Turkey Series.
History
Specifications
Built by Schichau-Werke in Elbing, Germany, laid down in 1908 as the German torpedo boat S165 and completed in August 1910 after sale to the Ottoman Navy. She displaced 765 tons full load, measured 74 m in length with a 7.9 m beam and 3 m draft, and could reach speeds around 26-32 knots on twin steam turbines. Original armament comprised two 75mm and two 57mm guns plus three 450mm torpedo tubes, later modernized in 1914 to include 88mm and 37mm guns.
Service history
Originally one of four sister ships (with Yadigar-i Millet, Numune-i Hamiyet, and Gayret-i Vataniye) built as German torpedo boats before Ottoman purchase in 1910. On the night of 12-13 May 1915, under a German captain assisting the Ottoman crew, she slipped past Allied picket destroyers in the Dardanelles and torpedoed HMS Goliath, sinking her with heavy loss of life. She later took part in the Battle of Imbros in January 1918, helping drive off British destroyers pursuing the damaged battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim.
Notable facts
The sinking of Goliath triggered a major political crisis in Britain, contributing to the resignations of First Sea Lord Admiral Fisher and First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill within days of each other. The ship's crew and German advisor were celebrated as heroes in Istanbul upon their return. After decommissioning in October 1918 and being stricken in 1924, the hull served as an accommodation hulk at the Taşkızak shipyard before being scrapped in 1953.