ABSTRACT
The first half of the 19th century was an era in which the sharpest turns and transformations in world history occurred. The most important means of these transformations were the modern navies that utilized all the possibilities of the industrial revolution. Despite occasional modernization and recovery, Ottoman naval power only managed to survive in the seas surrounding its geography through supply of modern warships from Europe. With its highly doubtful operational power, the Ottoman Navy was going to be put to test in the Crimean War under the auspices of the great powers. The destruction of the anchored fleet in Sinop by a strong Russian squadron led the Ottoman Navy to play a limited role in the shadow of the allies throughout the war. Lessons learned in the Crimean War would be taken off the dusty shelf and used in the formation of a new navy during the reign of Sultan Abdulaziz.
