Turkish-made submarine delivered to navy in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

The submarine rescue ship TCG AKIN (A-584), built in the Istanbul Shipyard, was delivered to the Turkish navy on Dec. 29 in an official ceremony in Istanbul.

The Undersecretariat of Defense Industry announced the delivery on its Twitter account, saying: “Our navy is getting more powerful.”

The ceremony at the Istanbul Shipyard was attended by the commander of the Turkish naval forces, Vice Admiral Adnan Özbal, Istanbul Shipyard Board Chairman Ertan Şener, Transportation Ministry Deputy Secretary Ahmet Selçuk Sert, Turkey Marine Federation President Erkan Dereli, Turkish Chamber of Shipping Board Chairman Metin Kalkavan, Turkish Shipbuilders’ Association (GİSBİR) Board Chairman Murat Kıran, and many other prominent names from the maritime sector.

The new ship will replace TCG Akın, whose long career had ended in November after 75 years.

TCG Akın had begun her life as a USS Greenlet, a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship in the United States navy.

She was launched in 1942 and served in the U.S. navy until 1970 before being transferred to Turkey.

TCG Akın was the sole dedicated submarine rescue ship until the commissioning of TCG Alemdar in 2017.