Ottoman submarine Abdül Hamid
The Nordenfelt-class Ottoman submarine Abdül Hamid (1886) was the first submarine in history to fire a torpedo while submerged.
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| History | |
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 Ottoman Empire
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| Name: | Abdül Hamid |
| Namesake: | Sultan Abdul Hamid II |
| Launched: | 6 September 1886 |
| In service: | 24 March 1888 |
| Out of service: | 1910 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1910 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Nordenfelt |
| Displacement: | 100 tons |
| Length: | 30.5 m (100 ft) |
| Beam: | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Coal-fired 250 hp Lamm steam engine |
| Speed: | |
| Test depth: | 160 ft (49 m) |
| Armament: |
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The submarine Abdül Hamid (also Abdülhamid) was an early steam powered submarine built in England in 1886 at the Barrow Shipyard. It was bought and put in service by the Ottoman Navy and named after Sultan Abdülhamid II. It was also the first submarine in the world to fire a live torpedo underwater.
The Ottoman Empire carried out various military modernizations as a result of emergence of new technologies in the 19th century. Sultan Abdul Hamid I instructed the Minister of the Navy (Bahriye Nazırı), Bozcaadalı Hasan Hüsnü Paşa, to purchase these new boats for the navy, deciding that it was crucial to have these boats in the navy. The Greek interest in buying submarines was also a factor that prompted Sultan Abdul Hamid II to purchase these boats to establish a more powerful navy.
Barrow Shipyard built two steam-engine powered boats, designed by Swedish industrialist and arms dealer Thorsten Nordenfelt. These were ultimately sold to the Ottoman Empire and Russia. The submarine for Russia never reached her customer, foundering on the Jutland (Danish) coast on her delivery voyage.
Abdul Hamid, was dismantled for delivery by ship and re-assembled at Taşkızak Naval Shipyard (Turkish: Taşkızak Tersanesi) along the Golden Horn in Constantinople under the supervision of its English designer, George William Garrett. Another boat of Nordenfelt class, Abdul Mecid was built at the same time and later delivered to the Ottoman Navy.
Abdul Hamid was first launched on September 6, 1886 in front of many international dignitaries lined along Golden Horn. First diving tests were carried out in February 1887. Three dives were attempted successfully, 20 seconds each, with only the hemispherical navigator cockpit remaining above the water. On another test run in early 1888, the submarine was able to navigate through the strong currents around the Seraglio Point, making up to 10 knots of speed, and successfully sank an old target ship with a single torpedo. After more tests and trial at Izmit naval base, they officially joined the Ottoman Navy in a flag ceremony on 24 March 1888.
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