Bosphoros

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Paddle Steamers at Istanbul, Turkey

BOSPHOROS SERVICES

Sirket-i Hayriye

The Sirket-i Hayriye shipping company was established in 1850 and granted the concession to link Istanbul with communities on the Asian shore of the Bosphoros, but excluded any services on the Golden Horn inlet in the capital city and also services further afield for which the concession was held by a separate company. At the time there was little developmemt on the Asian shore apart from fishing villages and a number of villa for wealthy citizens of Constantinople. Development was to be encouraged and the company was to be central to this. A 25-year monopoly was granted. Traditionally, the company purchased its vessels from British yards. The exceptions during the paddle steamer era were six vessels built at the company's own maintenance yard at Haskoy. The company was nationalised in 1944 and became part of the Turkish Maritime Lines and Sehir Hatlari (City Lines) along with Golden Horn operator Halic Vapurlari Sirketi ve Bogaz and integrated with the operator of longer distance services in the area. .

Particularly notable amongst the vessels below are the Suhulet and Sahilbent, double-ended ferries, built in 1870 and 1871, pre-dating the similarly-designed vessels which have now come to dominate short crossings by over 50 years. These vessels were designed to carry cargo barrows, carriages and livestock on the "roll-on roll-off" principle, and found particular use by the army in wartime for the carriage of troops and ordnance. Latterly they were motorised and rebuilt to provide more open deck space. Both vessels remained in service for almost 100 years. They were the only two paddle ships to survive into Sehir Hatlari ownership.

Above : Suhulet (also known as Bosporus No 26 from 1944-1952) : a revolutionary design promoted by Huseyin Haki Efendi, General Manager of Sirket-i-Hayriye - and a 90-year life (1861-1961) was testament to this success.
150 ft long : 555 GRT built by Maudslay, Sons & Field of London UK. Engine - 43 in x 48 in (compounded in 1926 then replaced by an oil engine by MAN of Nurnberg in 1930)
Sister ship Sahilbent had two engines when built for extra power.

Above : Suhulet rebuilt after motorisation in 1930

Other paddle steamers found their way to serve at Istanbul second hand from western Europe for a variety of operators. These are not listed here.

NUMBER	NAME	BUILT	BUILDERS	AT	LENGTH	SERVED UNTIL
1	Rumeli	1853	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	46.4	1864
2	Taraba	1853	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	46.4	1864
3	Goksu	1853	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	46.4	1864
4	Beylerbeyi	1853	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	46.4	1864
5	Tophane	1853	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	46.4	1864
6	Besiktas	1853	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	46.4	1864
7	Istinye	1857	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	41.1	1864
8	Bebek	1857	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	41.1
9	Kandilli	1857	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	41.1	1864
10	Beykoz	1857	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	41.1
11	Anadolu	1857	John Robert White	East Cowes, England	41.1	1865
12	Kabatas	1860	John White	West Cowes, England	42	1875
13	Galata	1860	John White	West Cowes, England	42.6	1902
14	Buyukdere	1860	John White	West Cowes, England	42.6	1899
15	Beyazit	1863	Money Wigram	London, England		1898
16	Buyukada	1863	Money Wigram	London, England		1898
17	Bahariye	1865	Money Wigram	London, England		1905
18	Asayis	1865	Money Wigram	London, England		1919
19	Seyyar	1869	Money Wigram	London, England		1913
20	Terakki	1869	Money Wigram	London, England		1919
21	Surat	1869	Money Wigram	London, England		1919
22	Tayyar	1869	Money Wigram	London, England		1903
23	Azimet	1870	Maudslay Sons + Field	London, England	31.7	1915
24	Rahat	1870	Maudslay Sons + Field	London, England	31.7	1911
25	Selamet	1870	Maudslay Sons + Field	London, England	31.7	1915
26	Suhulet	1871	Maudslay Sons + Field	London, England	45.5	1958. Scrap 1961
27	Sahilbent	1872	Maudslay Sons + Field	London, England	45.5	1959. Sold 67
28	Meymenet	1872	Sirket-i Hayriye	Haskoy, Turkey		1905
29	Nuzhet	1872	Sirket-i Hayriye	Haskoy, Turkey		1905
30	Refet	1872	Sirket-i Hayriye	Haskoy, Turkey		1905
31	Amed	1872	Sirket-i Hayriye	Haskoy, Turkey		1905
32	Meserret	1872	R + H Green	London, England	48.7
33	Nusret	1874	R + H Green	London, England	48.7	1916
34	Gayret	1872	R + H Green	London, England	48.7	1915
35	Isguzar	1881	Sirket-i Hariye	Haskoy, Turkey		1930
36	Mirgun	1881	Sirket-i Hariye	Haskoy, Turkey		1910
37	Ihsan	1890	R + H Green	London, England	50.2	1916
38	Sukran	1890	R + H Green	London, England	50.2	1915
39	Neveser	1890	J W Thames	London, England	52.4	1917
40	Reheber	1890	J W Thames	London, England	52.4	1915
41	Metanet	1893	Napier, Shanks + Bell	Glasgow, Scotland		1916
42	Resanet	1892	Napier, Shanks + Bell	Glasgow, Scotland		1916
43	Ikdam	1894	R + H Green	London, England	50.2
44	Intizam	1894	R + H Green	London, England	50.3	1916
45	Resan	1895	R + H Green	London, England	50.3	1916
46	Ruchan	1895	R + H Green	London, England	50.3	1916
49	Hale	1903	Fairfield	Glasgow, Scotland	30.6	1916
50	Seyyale	1903	Fairfield	Glasgow, Scotland	30.6	1924

Bibliography:

Sirket-i Hayriye
By Eser Tutel
Published by : Iletisim Yayincilik in 1994
ISBN 975-470-420-1
History of the Sirket-i Hariya ferry company, forerunner of today's state-owned concern, and its ships (in Turkish language)

LONGER DISTANCE SERVICES

Longer distance passenger, freight and military transport services were in the hands of a state controlled company which had a number of names before becoming the Idare-i Mahsusa in 1876. It was renamed in 1910 as the Osmanli Seyr-i Sefain Idaresi and following the establishment of the Turkish Republic, the Turkiye Seyr-i Sefain Idaresi. It later became the Akay administration in 1933 and then the state-owned Sehir Hatlari (City Lines) from 1937.

It had a number of paddle steamers including :

Marmara (1878-1909) Built for the Idare i Aziziye in 1874 by J & W Dudgeon of London. 180 ft. Sunk in 1917 after being requisitioned by the Ottoman Navy for use during World War I.
Kinali (1878-1910) Built for the Idare i Aziziye in 1874 by J & W Dudgeon of London. 173.4 ft. Sunk in November 1914 by a British naval vessel off Izmit
Kenalee Built in 1876 by J & W Dudgeon of London. 180 ft.
Sahin (1889-1914) Built in 1889 by Samuda Bros of Poplar, London. 183.5 ft steel hull, 239 GT. Oscillating engine (35 and 35 x 36 in) by J Penn of London
Erenkoi (1892-1906, but possibly 1970) formerly the Clyde steamer Lancelot. Built in 1868 by R Duncan & Co of Port Glasgow with 2 cyl oscillating engine by Rankin & Blackmore of Greenock. 191.2 ft : 142 GRT
Kalamish (1896-1910) Built for C Morrison of London in 1882 by Samuda Bos of Poplar, London as Haidar Pacha. 151.6 ft iron hull : 342 GT. Oscillating engine (37 & 37 x 36 in) by Maudsley Sons & Field. Scrapped in 1924
Hereckli (1904-xxxx) built by William Hamilton of Port Glasgow in 1869. 166.5 ft : Oscillating engine by J&G Thomson of Glasgow : Originally named Mary Hamilton

Tuzla (1914-1915) ex- Diana Vernon, Worthing Belle. Torpedoed and sunk by a British submarine off Canakkale on 30th August 1915

Anatolia and Baghdad Railway : Vessels sold in 1910 to the Osmanli Seyr-i Sefain Idaresi

Bagdat, Halep and Basra
Built by Howaldtswerke, Kiel, Germany in 1904
54.8 m : 434 GT. Triple expansion engines

Bagdat : Converted to a car ferry in 1945 and scrapped in 1955
Halep : Scrapped in 1955 and engine fitted into new car ferry Karamursel
Basra : Converted to a car ferry in 1945, Scrapped in 1955 and engine fitted into new car ferry Karamursel

Karamursel was an unusual car ferry with well-concealed paddles fore and aft (thus using the two redundant engines from Halep and Basra). It was built in 1956 but was not proven to be a great success and was withdrawn after ten years

Although the company had ordered screw steamers from 1912 onwards, they purchased the former British paddle steamer Greyhound (1895) in 1925 which was renamed Buyukada. She sailed until 1930
Details of Greyhound/Buyukada

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