View source for Ottoman destroyer Basra

{{short description|Ottoman destroyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=''Basra'' in the [[Sea of Marmara]], 1911
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Ottoman Empire
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Ottoman Empire|naval}}
|Ship name=''Basra''
|Ship namesake=[[Basra]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship ordered=22 January 1906
|Ship builder=[[Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde]], [[Bordeaux]]
|Ship laid down=June 1906
|Ship launched=1907
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned=3 September 1907
|Ship decommissioned=1932
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate=Scrapped, 1949
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Samsun|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement={{cvt|311|t|LT|0|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|56.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[p/p]])
|Ship beam={{convert|6.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|3.17|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*2 × [[Normand boiler]]s
*{{cvt|5200|PS|lk=on}}
|Ship depth={{convert|4.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 × Shafts
*2 × [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|Triple-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship speed={{convert|28|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|2300|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=64 officers and enlisted men
|Ship armament=* 1 × [[Canon de 65 mm Modèle 1891|{{convert|65|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] gun
* 6 × [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] guns
* 2 × {{convert|381|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s 
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Basra''''' was one of the four {{sclass|Durandal|destroyer}}s purchased by the Ottoman Empire from France in 1907. The ship served in the Ottoman Navy during the [[Italo-Turkish War]], the [[Balkan Wars]] and [[World War I]].

==Design==
Built at [[Bordeaux]] by [[Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde]],{{sfn|Noppen|2015|p=10}} ''Basra'' was {{convert|56.3|m|ftin|sp=us}} long [[p/p|between the perpendiculars]] and {{convert|58.2|m|ftin|sp=us}} in full length, with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|58.2|m|ftin|sp=us}} and a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|3.17|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The displacement of the ship was {{cvt|284|t|LT|0|lk=on}}. Her crew consisted of 7 officers and 60 sailors when she was built in 1907.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}}

The ship was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, fed by steam from two water-tube boilers built by SA Chantiers et Ateliers de la Gironde. The engines had {{convert|5950|ihp|lk=in}} and could accelerate the ship to {{convert|28|kn|lk=in}} in 1907. Due to maintenance problems which were widespread throughout the Navy,{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=28}} the ship's speed dropped to {{convert|20|kn}} in 1912 and {{convert|17|kn}} in 1915. The ship could carry 60 tons of coal.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}}{{sfn|Gardiner|1985|p=391}}

As built, the ship carried one [[Canon de 65 mm Modèle 1891]] naval gun, six [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss]] guns and two 450&nbsp;mm torpedo tubes.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}}

==Construction and purchase==
At the turn of the 20th century, during a program to strengthen the Ottoman Navy, large quantities of cannons, ammunition and supplies were ordered from [[Krupp]] in 1904. In order to maintain diplomatic and financial balance, the Ottoman government decided to place subsequent orders with [[French Third Republic|France]]. For this purpose, four [[Ottoman torpedo boat Sultanhisar|''Sultanhisar''-class torpedo boats]] were ordered from Schneider-Creusot to meet the needs of the navy. As this small order was not sufficient for the French, the 200-ton {{sclass|Refahiye|gunboat}}s and the 420-ton ''Marmaris'' were also ordered. During negotiations in 1906, the French convinced the [[Ottoman government]] to purchase four more destroyers, which were ordered on 22 January 1906. Based on the French ''Durandal''-class destroyers, ''Samsun'', ''Yarhisar'' and ''Basra'' were built by Ateliers de la Gironde, while ''Taşoz'' was built by [[Schneider et Cie]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|pp=12-13}}

==Operational history==
''Basra'' was commissioned into the [[Ottoman Navy]] on 3 September 1907 in [[Istanbul]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}} On 1 October 1911, after the outbreak of the [[Italo-Turkish War]], ''Basra'', together with her sister ships {{ship|Ottoman destroyer|Samsun||2}}, {{ship|Ottoman destroyer|Yarhisar||2}} and {{ship|Ottoman destroyer|Taşoz||2}}, became part of an Ottoman fleet directed to defend the [[Dardanelles]] (consisting, in addition to them, of the battleships {{ship|Ottoman battleship|Barbaros Hayreddin||2}}, {{ship|Ottoman battleship|Turgut Reis||2}}, the [[ironclad]] {{ship|Ottoman ironclad|Mesudiye||2}} and the torpedo boat {{ship|Ottoman torpedo boat|Demirhisar||2}}), but the following day all ships returned to Istanbul to make necessary repairs and retrieve supplies.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=15}} The Ottoman fleet returned to defensive positions on October 12, with little activity until the end of the conflict.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=15-16}}

During the [[First Balkan War]], on 7 November 1912, the ironclad {{ship|Ottoman ironclad|Asar-i Tevfik||2}}, ''Turgut Reis'' and ''Basra'' fired on Bulgarian troops that occupied [[Tekirdağ]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=25}} On 12 December, ''Basra'' and ''Taşoz'' went on patrol to the waters of the Dardanelles, intending to ambush Greek destroyers, but had to return due to trouble with their boilers.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=21}} Two days later, the ship, along with the torpedo boat {{ship|Ottoman torpedo boat|Sultanhisar||2}} and the cruiser {{ship|Ottoman cruiser|Mecidiye||2}} participated in an inconclusive skirmish with the Greek destroyers {{ship|Greek destroyer|Sfendoni|1907|2}}, {{ship|Greek destroyer|Lonchi||2}}, {{ship|Greek destroyer|Thyella|1907|2}} and {{ship|Greek destroyer|Nafkratousa||2}}.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=21-22}} On 14 January 1913, the cruiser {{ship|Ottoman cruiser|Hamidiye||2}} assisted by ''Basra'' and ''Yarhisar'' patrolled the entrance to the Dardanelles.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=26}} On January 18, an Ottoman fleet (consisting of ''Barbaros Hayreddin'', ''Mecidiye'', {{ship|Ottoman cruiser|Berk-i Satvet||2}}, ''Basra'' and ''Yarhisar'') took part in [[Battle of Lemnos (1913)|a clash with the Greek fleet near Lemnos]]{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=23-24}} On 7–11 February 1913, ''Basra'' and ''Taşoz'', together with ''Asar-i Tevfik'', took part in the unsuccessful raid at [[Yalıköy, Istanbul|Podima]] on the [[Black Sea]] coast, losing ''Asar-i Tevfik'' during the action.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=21}}

===World War I===
At the outbreak of World War I, the destroyer was already obsolete and of low combat value. On 21 September 1914, the ''Basra'' and ''Taşoz'' escorted the battlecruiser {{ship|Ottoman battlecruiser|Yavuz Sultan Selim||2}} on a patrol cruise in the Black Sea.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=28}} On October 29, the ''Barbaros Hayreddin'' and ''Turgut Reis'', escorted by ''Basra'' and ''Yarhisar'', participated in securing the outing of the cruisers ''Berk-i Satvet'' and {{ship|Ottoman cruiser|Midilli||2}} at [[Novorossiysk]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=45}}

In 1915, her depleted engine room reduced her top speed to 17 knots, and the crew size increased to 91 men (17 Germans and 74 Turks).{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}} On 8 August 1915, the destroyer, together with the torpedo boat {{ship|Ottoman torpedo boat|Sivrihisar||2}}, took part in the rescue of the crew of the ''Barbaros Hayreddin'', sunk in the Dardanelles by the submarine {{HMS|E11}}, avoiding a torpedo fired in her direction by it during a rescue operation of survivors.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|pp=33, 39}} On October 18, near [[Bandırma]], ''Basra'' and ''Yarhisar'' surprised {{HMS|E12}} on the surface, which, however, managed to escape.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=41}}

Prior to the [[Gallipoli Campaign]], ''Basra'', together with her sister ships, escorted transports of Ottoman troops organized to reinforce the forces defending the Dardanelles.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=34}}

On 14–15 September 1916, five destroyers (including the ''Basra'' and ''Samsun'') escorted the freighter {{SS|Patmos}}, which was transporting coal from [[Zonguldak]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=51}} However, the ship struck a [[naval mine|mine]] near [[Karaburun]] and was beached;<ref group=Note>It would subsequently be refloated and repaired, and in 1917 placed anew into service with the Germans.</ref> its crew was taken off board by ''Basra'' and ''Samsun''.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=51}}

On 23–25 June 1917, the cruiser ''Midilli'' made a combat cruise in the Black Sea, laying, among other things, 70 mines at the mouth of the [[Danube]].{{sfn|Gozdawa-Gołębiowski|1994|p=416}} Returning to the Bosporus, the ship was fired upon by the Russian battleship {{ship|Russian battleship|Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya||2}} and the destroyer ''[[Derzky-class destroyer|Gnevny]]'' and in the last phase of the battle it was covered by ''Basra'' and the German submarine ''[[UC-23]]''.{{sfn|Gozdawa-Gołębiowski|1994|p=416}}

On 20 January 1918, the destroyers ''Basra'', ''Samsun'', {{ship|Ottoman destroyer|Numûne-i Hamiyet||2}} and {{ship|Ottoman destroyer|Muavenet-i Milliye||2}} took part in securing the outing of the ''Yavuz Sultan Selim'' and ''Midilli'' at the [[Battle of Imbros]], among other things, covering the return to the Dardanelles of the mine-damaged ''Yavuz Sultan Selim''.{{sfn|Gozdawa-Gołębiowski|1994|p=450}} During the battle, ''Basra'' came under fire from the British destroyers {{HMS|Lizard|1911|2}} and {{HMS|Tigress|1911|2}} as a result of which she sustained damage to the stern and, after [[smoke screen|screening]] her own retreat, arrived in waters controlled by friendly [[coastal artillery]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=32}} On March 30, the ''Basra'', ''Samsun'' and ''Taşoz'' escorted the [[Troopship|troop transport]] ''Patmos'', carrying soldiers from [[Constanta]] to [[Odessa]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=53}} In October, the ship was put back in reserve in Istanbul.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}}

After the end of the war, on 29 October 1923, ''Basra'' was formally incorporated into the newly formed [[Turkish Navy]], although her technical condition did not allow her to operate.{{sfn|Noppen|2015|p=46}}{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=59}} In 1924–1925, the vessel underwent an overhaul at Deniz Fabrikaları in Istanbul, and after its completion, she entered active service.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}}{{sfn|Noppen|2015|p=46}} The ship was decommissioned in 1932, following the purchase of new destroyers from Italy.{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}}{{sfn|Noppen|2015|p=46}} The destroyer was [[ship breaking|scrapped]] as late as 1949 in [[Gölcük Naval Shipyard|Gölcük]].{{sfn|Langensiepen|Güleryüz|1995|p=158}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book
  | last = Gardiner
  | first = Robert 
  | author-link =
  | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=V2r_TBjR2TYC&q=angora&pg=PP4
  | publisher = Conway Maritime Press
  | location = London
  | date = 1985
  | isbn = 9780870219078
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Gozdawa-Gołębiowski
  | first = Jan
  | author-link =
  | title = Pierwsza wojna światowa na morzu 
  | url = 
  | publisher = Lampart
  | location = Warsaw
  | date = 1994
  | isbn = 83-902554-2-1 
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last1 = Langensiepen
  | first1 = Bernd
  | last2 = Güleryüz
  | first2 = Ahmet
  | author-link =
  | title = The Ottoman Steam Navy 1828–1923
  | url = https://archive.org/details/learnislampdfenglishbooktheottomansteamnavy18281923/page/n3/mode/2up
  | publisher = Conway Maritime Press
  | location = London
  | date = 1995
  | isbn = 978-0-85177-610-1
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Noppen
  | first = Ryan K.
  | title = Ottoman Navy Warships 1914–18
  | publisher = Osprey Books
  | location = Oxford
  | date = 2015
  | isbn = 978-1-4728-0620-8
  }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basra}}
[[Category:Italo-Turkish War naval ships of the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:World War I naval ships of the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:1907 ships]]