Turkish Stealth Ship Kinaliada Arrives in Japan on Path to Join Ukrainian Navy

Japan hosts U.S. Navy bases, and in places like Yokosuka and Sasebo, where the U.S. Navy has its homeports, you can often see U.S. Navy vessels. Additionally, naval ships from other countries with which Japan has established relations occasionally visit Japanese ports. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) also conducts missions and training exercises around the world, and these reciprocal visits of naval vessels are considered highly important for military exchange during peacetime.

 

This past June was a particularly notable month, with naval vessels from the Turkish Navy, Indian Navy, and Royal Netherlands Navy visiting Japan in quick succession. Among them, the Turkish Navy garnered special attention. 

The Turkish Navy made stops at Kushimoto Port in Wakayama from June 8th to 11th, Tokyo Port from June 12th to 16th, and Kure Port from June 18th to 21st. Their visit to Japan had two main purposes: the first was a goodwill visit to commemorate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Turkey. The second purpose was to pay tribute to the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul.

In 1890, the Ottoman Empire’s first goodwill mission to Japan was aboard the “Ertuğrul” ship, which took 11 months to reach Japan and docked in Yokohama on June 7th. Although the mission was successfully completed, cholera spread onboard, resulting in the ship staying in Japan for an additional three months.

 

The cholera outbreak eventually subsided, and the ship set sail on September 15th, rushing to return home. However, the following day, while navigating off the coast of Kii Ōshima in Wakayama Prefecture, the ship ran aground due to a typhoon and sank along with approximately 600 crew members. During the incident, residents of Kushimoto Town (then known as Ōshima Village) conducted rescue operations, saving 69 people. Turkey has never forgotten this act of kindness, and whenever they visit Japan, they make sure to call at Kushimoto Town.

 

As such, exchanges with the Turkish Navy have been ongoing since before the war, but this recent visit was special. The very rare stealth ship “Kınalıada” visited Japan. It is the fourth ship of the “Ada” class, of which four were deployed in 2011, and it is the latest ship, having just been commissioned on September 29, 2019.

The defining feature of the Kınalıada is its hull, designed with ultimate stealth in mind. To diffuse enemy radar reflections, the superstructure of the ship has significant inclines. It is armed with Turkey’s domestically produced anti-ship missile, the “Atmaca.” While the U.S. Navy’s anti-ship missile “Harpoon” has a range of about 140 km, the “Atmaca” boasts a range of approximately 220 km.

 

Currently, stealth warships have become the mainstream in navies around the world. The emergence of the “Ada” class has garnered attention, leading the Turkish government to decide on exporting the “Ada” class. Ukraine became the first export destination.

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Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Ukrainian Navy has lost a number of ships. Given the tense standoff with Russia across the Black Sea, maintaining military balance has become urgent, making the deployment of the latest warships a priority. Consequently, Ukraine decided to purchase the Ada-class ships and began construction at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in 2021. 

The following year, Russia’s military invasion began, turning Ukraine into a battleground. Despite this, construction in Turkey continued. In 2022, the ship was launched and named “Hetman Ivan Mazepa.” Although the project has experienced delays, it is expected to enter service by the end of 2024. Additionally, in 2023, the construction of the second ship, “Hetman Ivan Vihovsky,” also commenced. Once these two ships are completed, they are likely to be sent to the front lines against Russia..

The Kınalıada conducted public tours each time it docked to foster goodwill with the Japanese people. At Tokyo Port, a long line formed from the morning. As a state-of-the-art vessel, photography inside the ship was prohibited, yet the line of visitors remained constant. Many of the visitors could not have anticipated that this very ship, or its sister vessels, would end up engaging in conflict with Russia.