Ottoman cruiser Lütf-ü Hümayun

Lütf-ü Hümayun was an unprotected cruiser of the Ottoman Navy.

One of two only known images of Lütf-ü Hümayun
History
Ottoman Empire
NameLütf-ü Hümayun
BuilderTersâne-i Âmire, Istanbul
Laid down1881
Launched16 August 1892
CommissionedOctober 1896
Decommissioned1908
FateScrapped, November 1909
General characteristics (as designed)
TypeUnprotected cruiser
Displacement1,313 t (1,292 long tons; 1,447 short tons)
Length210 ft (64.0 m)
Beam30 ft (9.1 m)
Draft13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion1 shaft HTE, 2,785 ihp (2,077 kW)
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Armament
  • 3 × 1 – 6.7-inch (170 mm) guns
  • 6 × 1 – 4.7-inch (119 mm) guns
  • 4 × 1 – 47-millimeter (1.9 in) guns
  • 2 × 1 – 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes

Ordered in 1880, the construction of the ship started in 1882 at the Tersâne-i Âmire shipyard in Istanbul. She was launched on 16 August 1892. Sea trials were conducted in July 1896. In October 1896, she was commissioned in Istanbul as a stationary training ship. In 1905, her guns, machinery and masts were dismantled. Plans to rebuild her in Istanbul by Ansaldo did not materialize. Decommissioned in 1908, she was sold for scrap in November 1909.

Design edit

Lutf-ü Hümayun was 64 metres long, 9.1 metres wide and had a draft of 3.9 metres. She displaced 1313 tons. The ship was built with a composite of iron and wood.[1] She was a scaled-down version of the design of her half-sister Heibetnuma. She had a single chimney.[2]

The ship was powered by a single vertical triple expansion steam engine with three cylinders turning a screw. Built by Tersane-i Amire, the engine [3] received its steam from coal-fired boilers. The engine was capable of producing 2,160 ihp (1,610 kW). The maximum designed speed of the ship was 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph), the ship reached 12 knots in trials. She had a coal capacity of 205 tons.[1][2]

The ship's original design included four 170 mm L/25 QF Krupp guns, six 120 mm L/25 QF Krupp guns, four 47 mm QF Hotchkiss guns, six machine guns and two 450 mm torpedo tubes. When she entered service in 1896, she carried three 170 mm L/25 QF Krupp guns forward, six 120 mm L/25 QF Krupp guns, six 47 mm QF Hotchkiss guns and two 450 mm torpedo tubes on sponsons amidships. In 1899 her armament was changed to two 150 mm L/40 QF Krupp guns, two 120 mm L/25 QF Krupp guns, four 37 mm QF guns, two 450 mm torpedo tubes. In 1905 her guns were dismantled.[1]

Service history edit

The construction of Lütf-ü Hümayun ordered in 1880 started in 1882 at Tersâne-i Âmire. She was launched on 16 August 1892 after ten years of construction and after four years of outfitting, sea trials were conducted in July 1896. She entered service in October 1896. She spent her career as a stationary training ship in Istanbul. In 1905, her guns, machinery and masts were dismantled. Although she was planned to be rebuilt by Ansaldo in Istanbul, this did not happen. Decommissioned in 1908, she was sold as scrap for dismantling in November 1909. Her dismantling lasted until 1921.[1]

Footnotes edit

References edit

  • Büyüktuğrul, Afif (1974). Osmanlı Deniz Harp Tarihi (PDF). Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı.
  • Gardiner, Robert (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 9780870219078.
  • Langensiepen, Bernd; Güleryüz, Ahmet (1995). The Ottoman Steam Navy 1828–1923. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-610-1.