THE EFFECTS OF THE HAMIDIYE CRUISER LED BY CAPTAIN RAUF ORBAY ON THE FIRST BALKAN WAR IN THE ERA OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

In this extended essay, the effects of the Hamidiye Cruiser, led by captain Rauf Orbay , to the course of the First Balkan War were examined. The primary focus for this examination was the Raid Operation of the Balkan Wars, which has been the only succes for the Ottoman Empire. This operation was made by the Hamidiye Cruiser. The aim in doing this extended essay was to focus on the succes of the cruiser. The main question on the investigation process was to ask; How was the Raid Operation was succesful while the Ottoman Empire was on the verge of a defeat in the First Balkan War? Therefore, the actions of the Hamidiye Cruiser at the Raid Operation, The First Balkan War and the situation of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans were examined. Most of the information regarding of the events during the Raid Operation were taken from the books focused on the Hamidiye Cruiser. These books were taken from the Library of the Sea Museum at Istanbul, property of the Turkish Navy. These sources point out every movement of the cruiser in detail, so the course of the operation in this essay was written according to these sources. Another source for the operation was the documentary, “Akdeniz’de Bir Destan: Gazi Hamidiye ve Akın Harekatı”. As written in the outline document of the project, this documentary was made using the Naval Archives, so it contains some quotes from the journals of Rauf Orbay and an anonymous soldier from the cruiser. However, there weren’t enough quotes to center the essay around them, so they could only be used while writing about the Raid Operation. The sources used when giving information about the First Balkan War were recommended by my supervisor. These sources gave a point of view of all the countries involved in the war, as well as the forces behind. So, the reasons and resolutions of the war were told in a big, Europe-wide perspective