Turkey's first submarine museum 'TCG Uluçalireis' to open its doors to visitors on March 18

Built at the US Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on July 7, 1944, with a length of 94 meters, a beam of 8.5 meters, a weight of 2,000 tons, and a draft of 4.5 meters, the "TCG Uluçalireis" was launched under the name "USS Thornback," named after a slender, long, agile, and durable species of fish.

Born into war and struggle, the submarine departed from Pearl Harbor in June 1945 to conduct its first patrol, and upon receiving an order off the coast of Japan, it participated in World War II.

Strengthened further by a "Guppy IIA" conversion in 1946, the submarine joined the Turkish Naval Forces on July 2, 1971, during a handover ceremony in Charleston, USA, where the Turkish flag was hoisted. It was named after Kılıç Ali Pasha, also known as Grand Admiral Uluç Ali Reis.

The submarine was named after Uluç Ali Reis, who had participated in naval raids alongside the great Turkish sailor Turgut Reis since 1548; whose name was changed to Kılıç Ali by Sultan Selim II because he emerged from the 1571 Battle of Lepanto without losing a single ship and inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy; who participated in efforts to save Muslims in Andalusia from Crusader oppression; who conquered Tunis in 1574, saving the country from Spanish influence; and who maintained the Turkish Navy as the world's greatest naval power during his 16-year tenure as Grand Admiral.

MADE ITS FIRST DIVE 53 YEARS AGO

The "TCG Uluçalireis" performed its first dive under the Turkish flag in the Atlantic Ocean on July 3, 1971. The submarine, whose entry into the fleet was overseen by the late Admiral Kemal Kayacan, Commander of the Navy, on May 3, 1972, participated in the Cyprus Peace Operation in 1974 by moving from the north of Crete during the final phase of the Denizkurdu-2 Exercise.

The 'TCG Uluçalireis', which achieved first place in torpedo firing in 1972, 1973, and 1996, was commended in the 1990 Denizkurdu-1 Exercise as the submarine that developed the most attacks without ever being detected underwater.

The "TCG Uluçalireis" made its 1,645th and final dive in the Northern Aegean on May 30, 2000, and was decommissioned on August 8, 2000.

COMPLETED 1,645 DIVES IN 29 YEARS

During its 29 years of service in the Turkish Naval Forces, the 'TCG Uluçalireis' participated in 37 national and 9 NATO exercises, and carried out 12 front-line and 7 rotation missions. The ship also performed 160 torpedo firings, conducted numerous mine-laying training exercises, joint SAT-submarine training, joint rescue ship-submarine training, and completed 1,645 dives.

Docked and taken for comprehensive maintenance at the Gölcük Shipyard in 2001, the "TCG Uluçalireis" was converted into the country's first submarine museum by the Naval Forces Command, marking a first in Turkey.

Having undergone comprehensive restoration as of March 2, 2022, the "TCG Uluçalireis," now Turkey's first submarine museum, has begun its watch at the Çanakkale Naval Museum in the waters of Çanakkale, the eternal resting place of the martyred submarines Dumlupınar and Atılay.

'WE ARE WAITING FOR OUR VISITORS'

Çanakkale Naval Museum Commander Colonel Serhan Aras stated in his remarks that the "TCG Uluçalireis," built in the USA in 1944, is an extremely magnificent naval vessel.

Expressing that they are in the midst of an exciting preparation to present the "TCG Uluçalireis" to the appreciation of the noble Turkish nation on March 18, Colonel Aras provided the following information:

"Our submarine was taken for restoration over the last year. Our submarine, which joined the Naval Forces in 1971, was decommissioned in 2000. We are talking about a submarine that served the Turkish Naval Forces for exactly 29 years. Therefore, we took our submarine back into restoration over the past year to turn it into a museum.

We are talking about Turkey's first submarine museum. After a year-long restoration, we will open it to visitors in the waters of Çanakkale on March 18. We invite all the Turkish public, especially our youth, to visit it here as a monument in memory of the Atılay and Dumlupınar submarines."