Turkey’s most long-anticipated, recently commissioned, and biggest warship set sail via the Bosporus on Sunday as it was heading toward the Black Sea.
The TCG Anadolu reportedly rendered a 21-gun salute to honour Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president, as citizens along the Istanbul coast followed its passage closely.
Credit: TRT World/YouTube
Türkiye’s first-ever amphibious assault vessel set sail from the port of Sarayburnu, where it was opened to the public, and sailed past the Dolmabahçe Palace. On the shore of the palace, Erdoğan and Emine Erdoğan, the first lady, were accompanied by children from the southern earthquake-hit provinces of Türkiye to see off the TCG Anadolu.
Hulusi Akar, the Defense Minister, along with top Turkish military commanders, was on the vessel, escorted by Türkiye’s Air Force helicopters as it sailed via the strait.
The vessel is dedicated to bolstering the naval capabilities of the nation and making it one of those countries globally that has its own aircraft carrier built domestically. More than Türkiye’s first-ever aircraft carrier, the vessel will also serve as the first vessel in the world to have an air wing comprising unmanned aircraft.
The TCG Anadolu is known as a landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault vessel that is based on the flagship vessel of Spain, the Juan Carlos I.
TCG Anadolu is 231 meters in length and 32 meters in width. It comes with a displacement of about 27,436 tons and a top speed of approximately 21 knots, a range of 9,000 nm, and can also operate for 50 days at sea.
Reference: TRT World, Daily Sabah