Turkish corvette completes months-long Far East mission

The Turkish corvette TCG Kınalıada is set to return home on Aug. 21, concluding a four-and-a-half-month expedition across numerous ports in 19 countries throughout the Far East.

The mission, organized by the Turkish Naval Forces Command, was undertaken to commemorate the centenary of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Japan, as well as the 134th anniversary of the voyage of the ill-fated Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul, which sank en route from Japan in 1890.

The Kınalıada Corvette commenced its meticulously planned mission on April 8, departing from the Foça Naval Base in the country's west. Initially slated to return on Aug. 19, the timeline was extended to Aug. 21 to accommodate an additional port visit in Alexandria, Egypt.

Following the route of the Ertuğrul Frigate, the Kınalıada Corvette embarked on an extensive tour, making port calls from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia, and from South Korea to Sri Lanka.

Throughout the voyage, diplomatic courtesies were extended at the highest levels in all visited nations, with the corvette's crew paying formal visits to 41 dignitaries, including ministers, chiefs of general staff, force commanders, governors and unit commanders.

Moreover, the vessel hosted numerous high-ranking guests. The corvette's final port of call before returning to Foça was Alexandria, Egypt — a visit added to the itinerary at a later stage.

Turkish Rear Admiral Dr. Refik Levent Tezcan, the deputy director general of defense security at the Defense Ministry, traveled to Alexandria in conjunction with the ship's visit.

During this stop, Tezcan, alongside Türkiye's Ambassador to Cairo Salih Mutlu and the ship's captain, Commander Serkan Doğan, paid a courtesy visit to Alexandria's Governor Admiral Ahmed...