Bombardment of Samsun

Bombardment of Samsun
Part of the Turkish War of Independence
Date 7 June 1922 Location Samsun, Turkey Result Tactical Allied victory Samsun is brought under Allied control Strategic Allied failure No overall effect on the Turkish nationalists
Belligerents
Allied Powers  United States Greece	Grand National Assembly
Commanders and leaders
Mark Bristol Robert L. Ghormley Preston B. Haines I. Ipitis Charles Vriasco	Cemil Cahit Bey
Units involved
: USS Sands USS McFarland USS Sturtevant : Georgios Averof destroyer Naxos Kilkis Leon 2 cruisers 4 minesweepers	Unknown
Strength
1 battleship 3 cruisers 5 destroyers 4 minesweepers	1 cannon
Casualties and losses
None	4 civilians killed, 3 wounded

Tactical Allied victory

Strategic Allied failure

The Bombardment of Samsun was a naval operation carried out by the United States Navy and the Greek Navy. The ships fired 400 rounds at the town, in return the single Turkish cannon in the town fired back 25 rounds. The bombardment lasted almost three hours (15:02-18:00).

There were several reasons for the bombardment. One of them was to assist Greek rebels, fighting Turkish forces in the area. Another reason was to disrupt consignment of weapons and ammunition into inner Anatolia. Moreover, Turkish sailing boats were taking over Greek ships in the Black Sea and were putting them into Turkish service. Recently a large Greek ship named Enosis had been taken over by one Turkish officer and five soldiers on 25 April 1922. These incidents were angering the Greeks.

In the end, the attack did not cause any damage to the Turkish logistical system or military material, though it caused damage to civilian properties and loss of civilian lives. The ships stayed in Samsun until being recalled back to Constantinople. Around eight pm, US Navy Admiral Robert L. Ghormley went ashore, accompanied by a pharmacist, to see if any Americans were injured or dead.

The New York Times reported about the incident on 11 June 1922, stating that the Greeks claim the firing was directed against the ammunition dumps. The newspaper further mentioned that few lives were lost and the warehouse of the American Tobacco Company was slightly damaged. The New York Times published another article about the incident on 12 June. The article wrote that the commander of an American torpedo boat destroyer at Samsun reported, contrary to the Greek report, there were 90 casualties as a result of the bombardment and a portion of the town was destroyed. The ammunition depots belonging to the Turks, which were situated three miles inland, were not damaged.

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Wikipedia