TCG Anadolu LHD Begins Sea Trials
During the first Sea Trials performance tests of onboard machinery was carried out in company with Türk Loydu (Turkish Lloyd). The included engine endurance and emergency tests, crash test (emergency stop test while moving at high speed), circle test, and anchorage test (port and starboard anchoring and retrieval tests).
On March 3, 2022, the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB) announced on its official Twitter account that TCG Anadolu is getting ready for the first Sea Trials. The Ministry of National Defense (MOND) also shared on its official Twitter account that the Turkish flag was hoisted on the ship on March 4, along with some pictures from the ceremony.
The TCG Anadolu Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship, the construction of which started on April 17, 2016, and the first steel cutting ceremony was held on April 30, 2016, will be the largest ship of the Turkish Naval Forces with a length of 232 meters and a displacement of 27,000 tons.
Impressions from the Sea Trials and Tests Performed
On March 25, SEDEF Shipyard shared a short video on its LinkedIn account regarding the first Sea Trials held between March 7 and 10, 2022. The video showed the shipyard management staff, shipyard employees who took part in the tests, and Türk Loydu (Turkish Lloyd) personnel explaining their feelings and thoughts about the first cruise of TCG Anadolu and sharing brief information about the tests carried out during the cruise:
TCG Anadolu Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship
TCG Anadolu, whose outfitting and test activities continue, was powered in the past months, and commissioning and testing of the previously installed onboard systems have begun. When we photographed LHD Anadolu on January 24, 2022, it caught my attention that the stern ramp/door was open. According to the information I have received, on January 24, preliminary preparations were made for the loading and unloading trials of the LCMs (Landing Craft Mechanized) to the flooded well dock.
On January 25, the ship was removed from the floating dock (310m x 50m x 8.3m) at SEDEF Shipyard, and two of the 4 LCMs built under license at SEDEF Shipyard were lowered into the dock on January 26. On February 27, 2022, as part of the planned preparation activities before the sea trials, LHD Anadolu was moved from the dock to the anchor area and returned to SEDEF Shipyard after the successful test.
The floodable well dock (with a draft of 10,20) can host four LCM-1E or two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCACs) with a single tank carrying capacity. In this context, unlike the other sister ships in service, LHD Anadolu will not feature a Central Steel Fender (two rows of parallel steel curtains) inside the well dock at the request of the TNFC as it will prevent the docking of LCACs. The well dock is approximately 70m long, 17m wide, and 10m high.
During the cruise, there is no water in the 1,165m2 wide well dock, the dock is flooded before the amphibious landing operation via engines after opening the stern ramp/door, and the dock can also be flooded while the ship is moving. Right next to the well dock is the Heavy Vehicle Deck. After the mission, the water is discharged again by the pumps/motors, and the well dock becomes dry again.
According to the information I received from the ship's personnel, whom I had the opportunity to meet at the Press Conference held on the Juan Carlos I (L-61) LHD Ship of the Spanish Navy on June 2, 2011, as part of her Istanbul visit, Juan Carlos LHD can perform amphibious operations while in motion, and the ship can cruise at 5 knots while the stern ramp/door is in the down position, and 10 knots when the well dock is flooded. The vessel can reach a maximum cruising speed of 19 knots with the stern ramp/door open upwards. However, when the ship starts the amphibious operation (when the dock area is filled with water and the loading of the landing craft that will bring the Marines ashore begins), it cannot get very close to the shore as a precaution against possible counter attacks as it has to move at low speed for about 4 hours or wait in a fixed position (150-200km away).
TCG Anadolu LHD consists of 114 blocks, each weighing at least 200 tons, while the Juan Carlos I (L-61) Ship consists of 111 blocks. 13,000 tons of high-quality shipbuilding steel plates were used in the construction of the ship, and 1,000 tons of these plates were made of ballistic steel. While ballistic steel was procured from abroad as it was not produced in Turkey at that time, shipbuilding steel was supplied from Erdemir Demir Çelik AŞ from Turkey.
The "Keel Laying Ceremony" of the LHD Anadolu (L-400), which was planned to be temporarily delivered to the Turkish Navy in the T0+67th month (April 2021), was held on April 30, 2016, at Sedef Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul and the project activities (T0) were started on September 18, 2015. Following the 12-month warranty period, the final acceptance of LHD Anadolu was scheduled to be completed in the T0+79th month (April 2022)
