Enticed away from his normal diving around Cornwall , John Yarrow heads to Turkey ’ s Dardanelles Straits to explore the remnants of a major campaign of the First World War
TRAVELSPECIAL
Shipwrecks of Gallipoli
A dive into history
Enticed away from his normal diving around Cornwall , John Yarrow heads to Turkey ’ s Dardanelles Straits to explore the remnants of a major campaign of the First World War
We were on our way to dive a favourite part of the Bizzies Reef in South Cornwall when a fellow diver asked if I was interested in diving the wrecks of Gallipoli . The word ‘ Gallipoli ’ woke up a few brain cells that had been dormant since schooldays .
Early in the First World War , the Allied powers were determined to capture the Dardanelles Straits . This would have led to the fall of Istanbul and would effectively neutralise the Ottoman Empire . In addition , it would have provided the Allies with access to the Sea of Marmara , the Black Sea and ultimately to Russia .
Winston Churchill , First Lord of the Admiralty at the time , believed that a fleet of battleships would easily pass through the straits . He expected the Ottoman defenders to take flight once the British battleships began their bombardment . He hadn ’ t appreciated that the Turks were fighting for their homeland and they were not going to be defeated .
The Allies ’ next plan was an invasion to the south of the Gallipoli Peninsula involving 75,000 troops from Britain , Australia , New Zealand and France . Against all the odds the attempted invasion was repelled , and both sides continued to engage more and more troops . After eight months of fighting , the Allied forces were obliged to retreat ; the casualty list on both sides was in the order of 500,000 .
The Turkish politician and writer , Samipashazade Sezai , wrote :
“ Today , if Turks can speak , this is thanks to the defence at Gallipoli . Today , it is the defence of Gallipoli that give Turks the authority to say ‘ I am ’ among the major nations ... It saved the day . It brought back the ‘ heroism and greatness ’ of the past . It turned our country to an eternal homeland .”
Have you brought your handcuffs ?
The paragraphs above are a very simplified version of events . At the end of this article is a list of books and other sources of information that explain this episode of European history in far greater detail .
Some of the wrecks in the area have recently been opened for recreational diving . Although more than 100 wrecks have been located , most remain off-limits . The Dardanelles Straits is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world ; parts of the coast are in a strategic military area ; strong currents may reach speeds of 6 knots in places and many wrecks are too deep for recreational diving .
Our plan was to dive the area to the west of the peninsula away from the main shipping lanes .
Turkey is a large country and although
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