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THE DARDANELLES The Dardanelles, a narrow 40 mile strait linking the north-eastern corner of the Aegean to the Sea of Marmara, has from Homeric times been celebrated as a theatre of war. Near the entrance on the Asiatic shore, opposite the island of Tenedos, stand the remains of Troy. Across the strait just above the Narrows, The Great Xerxes the King of Persia, son of Darius, (B.C.519-B.C.405) built his bridge of boats to carry his armies into Europe for the invasion of Greece in the fifth century B.C. On18th March 1915, an attempt was made by Vice-Admiral Sir John de Robeck to force the passage of the Dardanelles by naval power alone a feat accomplished a century before by Admiral Duckworth in the Royal George. The attempt was unsuccessfull and there followed the military expedition under General Sir Ian Hamilton, which began with the landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25th April, 1915 and ended with the evacuation of the Expeditionary Force some nine months later. The morning of March 18 broke warm and sunny and soon after dawn Admiral de Robeck gave orders for the Fleet to clear for action. But at 5 p.m three battleships Bouvet, Irresistible and Ocean were out of action. And this Naval Attack was unsuccesful attempt. If the allied fleet succeded in passing through The Dardanelles, The Gallipoli Campaing would never have taken place. But one of the Turkish minelayer Nusrat which relaid 26 mines after midnight on 17 March 1915 and those mines caused sinking of the three battleships. Today, the Turkish minelayer Nusrat is visited in the open military museum in canakkale and the date of 18 March 1915 is commemorated as a "Victory Day" in Canakkale every year. |