Refah Tragedy

The Refah tragedy (Turkish: Refah faciası) was a maritime disaster that took place during World War II, in June 1941, when the cargo steamer Refah of neutral Turkey, carrying Turkish military personnel from Mersin in Turkey to Port Said, Egypt, was sunk in eastern Mediterranean waters by a torpedo fired from an unidentified submarine. Of the 200 passengers and crew aboard, only 32 survived.

Turkey remained neutral until the final year of World War II, but due to its proximity to the fighting, it decided to mobilize a large army in case the country came under attack. In the early stages of the war, the Turkish government had already ordered four submarines, four destroyers, twelve landing craft and aircraft for four flights from the United Kingdom.

Delivery was delayed because of wartime difficulties. Nevertheless, the British decided to make the submarines and aircraft available, fearing a possible pro-German tendency among the Turkish statesmen. It was planned that both the delivery and the training of the military personnel would take place in England. The direct air route from Turkey to England would have meant travelling over Nazi German-controlled Europe, so it was decided to go by sea to Egypt (under British control at the time), then to England by air. The British demanded that the Turkish mission should arrive by 25 June at the latest in Port Said, to join a British convoy going home.

The Turkish government chartered the steamer Refah, a cargo ship owned by the Berzilay & Benjamen Company. She was built in 1901 at Sunderland, England, and sailed under the name Perseveranza until renamed Refah (literally: Prosperity) in 1931 by the Turkish owner. The 3,805-ton vessel was 102.20 m (335.3 ft) long with 14.80 m (48.6 ft) beam and 7.00 m (22.97 ft) draught, and 8.5 knots (16 km/h; 10 mph) maximum speed. The ship departed from Istanbul on 16 June 1941 and arrived five days later in the southeastern Turkish port of Mersin.

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