THE HAMIDIYE BATTERY (ASIA) (NR 19)
the first authentic hotel on the Gallipoli peninsula
This website has been prepared by
“Turkish camp in Fort Hamidiye”, picture reproduced from “The Battle for the Dardanelles”, (Gütersloh), Clemens Laar.
“Turkish camp in Fort Hamidiye”, picture reproduced from “The Battle for The Dardanelles-1915”, (Berlin 1927), Major Dr. Carl Mühlmann, p. 137
conspicuously. No warships could enter these waters without immediately
coming within complete sight of her gunners. Yet the fortress itself, to
an unprofessional eye like my own, was not particulary impressive. The
parapet and traverses were merely mounds of earth,
and stand to-day practically as they were finished by their French constructors
in 1837. There is a general belief that the Germans have completely modernized
the Dardanelles
defences, but this was not true at that time. The guns defending Fort Anadolu
Hamidié were more than thirty years old, all being the Krupp model of 1885, and
the rusted exteriors of some of them gave evidences of their age. There extreme
range was only about nine miles, while the range of the battleships opposing
them was about ten miles, and that of the Queen Elizabeth was not far from
eleven. The figures which I have given for Anadolu Hamidié apply also
practically to all the guns at the other effective fortifications. So far as
the advantage of range was concerned, therefore, the Allied fleet had a
decided
superiority, the Queen Elizabeth alone having them all practically at her mercy.
...
... I lay this stress upon Hamidié because this was the most important
fortification in the
Dardanelles.
Throughout the whole bombardment it attracted more of the Allied fire than any
other position, and it inflicted at least 60 percent of all the damage that was
done to the attacking ships.
"Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story", (Kessinger Publications), p. 133
American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau visits the Dardanelles Strait defences a few days before the main Naval Attack of 18th March and notes the following about the Hamidiye Fortress on the Asian side. The location of Anadolu Hamidié seemed ideal. It stands right at the water's edge, and consists -or it did then- of ten guns, everyone completely sweeping the Dardanelles. Walking upon the parapet, I had a clear view of the strait, and Kumkale, at the entrance, about fifteen miles away, stood out
back to silent witnesses
"Installing guns in Fort Hamidiye" picture reproduction provided by Abdullah Ayer - private collection.
last updated : 23/02/08
SILENT WITNESSES
fortresses & batteries
along the Dardanelles