Uss Blower (Ss-325)
Uss Blower (Ss-325)
Uss Blower (Ss-325)
Contents
1 Career (US)
2 Career (Turkey)
2.1 The Dumlupnar Tragedy Blower underway c. 1944
3 References History
4 External links
United States
There was heavy mist in the strait that night, which severely limited visibility. Lieutenant Hseyin nkaya was
on deck duty when the Dumplupnar was suddenly and violently struck by something unseen off Nara point -
the narrowmost (1.2 km, 0.75 mi) and deepest (113m, 370 ft) point of the Dardanelles, as well as the point
where the currents are the strongest at up to 5 nautical miles versus 1-2 elsewhere on the strait. The eight crew
members who were on deck at the moment of collision were thrown off into the water due to the force of the
impact, with two of them dying terribly in the sub's propellers, and one drowning in the ensuing commotion.
Dumlupnar had been rammed by Swedish cargo ship M/V Naboland in her bow torpedo room on the starboard
side, and started to take water from her front compartments. Due to the gravity of the damage caused, and the
subsequent explosion in her central compartment, Dumlupnar sank within minutes. Most communications
were severed along with any electrical power. The 88 surviving men inside the submarine, seeing that the
vessel was taking water from the bow, tried to reach the stern to seek shelter in the torpedo room, with many of
them perishing in the rapidly rising waters. Of the original 88, only 22 were able to reach and lock themselves
in the stern torpedo compartment, and released an emergency communications buoy with the hope of
contacting surface rescue workers.
Shortly after the collision, a customs ship that was anchored in nearby Eceabat Harbor was alerted to the
incident by a small motorboat that had heard the impact, and had implored them to get to the scene. When the
customs ship reached the site of the incident, they saw that M/V Naboland had lowered their rescue boats and
life jackets to aid any surviving members of Dumlupnar, and were firing flares to alert potential rescue
workers in the area. The customs ship accepted on board the five rescued sailors from Dumlupnar that had not
gone down with the submarine, and took them to local hospitals. Three of the hospitalized officers succumbed
to their injuries the next day.
Nobody on the surface was aware of the level of casualties at the time, and authorities called the rescue vessel
Kurtaran to the scene to help the remaining sailors. While waiting for Kurtaran, the sun began to rise, the
heavy mist started to clear, and the customs ship spotted the emergency communications buoy that had been
released by the trapped sailors. Second handsman of the customs ship Selim Yoludz reached for the phone
located inside of the communications buoy and read the inscription on it, which said, "The submarine TCG
Dumlupnar, commissioned to the Turkish Navy, has sunk here. Open the hatch to establish contact with the
submarine".
Following these directions, Yoludz established contact with the sunken submarine, and was responded to by
Lieutenant Selami zben, who informed Yoludz that the submarine was leaning 15 degrees to the starboard
side after impact with a cargo ship, and that the surviving 22 members of crew were locked away in the stern
torpedo compartment with no power or supplies. Yoludz, in turn, informed Lieutenant zben that they were in
the Nara Bay area of anakkale, at approximately 90 meters depth, that the rescue ship Kurtaran was on its
way, and that they would do everything they can to rescue the trapped sailors.
Kurtaran arrived at the scene at approximately 11:00am on April 4, about 9 hours after the initial impact,
alongside Admiral Sadk Altncan and Governor Safaeddin Karnak. Throughout the ensuing rescue operation,
Lt.zben kept in regular contact with Yoludz, as well as the Admiral of the anakkale Sea Forces Zeki Adar,
and the second captain of the sister submarine nn I, Suat Tezcan. The rescuers implored the trapped sailors
to keep their spirits up, and advised them to refrain from talking, singing, or smoking in order to preserve
precious oxygen.
Despite numerous attempts by engineers, divers, and US and Turkish navy vessels, the rescue efforts provided
no results due to the severe currents and the sunken depth of the Dumlupnar, and the morale of the trapped
crew began to decline. By afternoon time, the voices of the 22 sailors were quieting, and were being replaced
by prayers. Finally, the apologetic rescue workers delivered the tragic news to the sailors with the words
"Gentlemen, now you can talk, you can sing, you can even smoke". Lt.zben responded with a final "For our
country", and at approximately 15:00 (3pm) on April 4, the cable that was holding the communications buoy
broke, and no more news were heard from Dumlupnar.
Despite the lack of communication, operations continued in order to rescue the trapped men, with the whole
country following along via radio and newspapers. On April 7, 1953, three days after the accident, it was
declared that the rising carbon dioxide levels inside the submarine would have killed any surviving crew, and
the rescue operation was abandoned.
The following day, at 15:00 (3pm), a memorial ceremony was held on the ship Baaran.
The tragedy, which captured the attention of the whole country, has since inspired numerous songs and tributes
in honor of the fallen sailors, and is commemorated every year on April 4.
References
1. Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis,
Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
2. Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major
Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275280. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
3. Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 17751990: Major
Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275280. ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9.
4. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 p. 261
5. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305311
6. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The
entries can be found here and here.
External links
Photo gallery of Blower at NavSource Naval History
History of Turkish Submarines (19481972)