Ali Bozoğlu has published the story of the 52 starships of Turkish maritime, which were once a cooler way of transport than transport on land, by train or even by plane, but were all lost.

 

Some of us remember how cruise ships once adorned our dreams by looking at the key chains distributed by Denizcilik Bank or the chimney-shaped money boxes. The pocket money we threw into those boxes was the ticket money for the trips we would one day go on with those ships. Some would go even further, making their plans with the Love Boat. Then gradually, the ships stopped returning from where they were going. They disappeared along with the money boxes.

 

 

Ali Bozoğlu, who spent his childhood in Istanbul in Aynalıçeşme, watching the ships at the Golden Horn Shipyard, is one of those who never forgets those days. He also authored an important book, in addition to his numerous articles on maritime. He wrote the story of 52 ships that left their mark on Turkey's 100 years: Crescent and Star Ships in the Mediterranean.

 

 

He brought together all ships, including S/S Karadeniz, which was purchased from the Netherlands in 1924 upon the order of Atatürk, who wanted the Republic of Turkey to be described to Europe, Gülcemal, the first Turkish-flagged ship to sail to the States, Akdeniz, the ship which opened its doors to the first female stewardesses and Tarsus, a cruise ship with the elegance of a sailing boat. The steamboat, Kartal, on the deck of which Atatürk looked at the occupation navy and said, "As they have come, so they will go" on 13 November 1918, which is the only remaining ship from this fleet, is of course diligently described in the book.

 

 

In the book, a special place is reserved for the story of S/S Karadeniz. In two years, the ship was transformed into a fair ship at Haliç Shipyard and filled with meat products from Kayseri, tiles from Kütahya, silk fabrics from Bursa, leather shoes from the Beykoz shoe factory, angora goat from Ankara and Turkish delights from Hacı Bekir of Kastamonu, accompanied by an orchestra led by Zeki Üngör, the composer of our national anthem, Mebrure Gönenç, our first female deputy, and Nermin Halki, our first female sculptor, went to 16 ports of 12 countries in 1926 and described Turkey to the people of those countries.

 

 

Ali Bozoğlu creates this magnificent fleet, which will never meet again, from the records he kept during the 36 years he worked at Turkish Maritime Enterprises.  All we have to do is bow before the memory of this magnificent fleet.

 

 

Photographs: Crescent and Star Ships of the Mediterranean, March 2018, a publication of IMEAK Chamber of Shipping, İzmir Branch