Captain Mustapha Kazim

[Jefgte]

Captain Mustapha Kazim
Senior artillery officer on the battleship Mehmed II.

I was transferred on January 1, 1913 to the battleship Mehmed II. This battleship is emerging from a major rebuild with new artillery and fire control. He is the second in the line of the 5th Battle Division officially assigned later to Port Darwin. We found, with the Admiral Ship Barbarossa, the other members of the 5th division: The big cruiser Bourgas and the new cruiser of 7000t, Foros.
The 5th Battle Division is complete.

At the end of September 1913, we were based in Diego Suarez where we tried out the division's cadenced fire, ship after ship. The least that can be said is that it is quite spotty. Incomplete bursts due to breakdowns occurring in the hoists or in the firing systems. Admiral Karta repeated the exercises before we left for Port Darwin, our new base. The crossing was tiring because the sea shook us well.
As the Admiralty wishes, we are operational for the beginning of 1914.
After refueling at Port Darwin, The Admiralty sent us to Brisbane as a troop transports escort and for the threat of our guns to bring the city into the Empire. After 2 weeks, spent in Brisbane, we were relieved by 2 TGB.
On February 12, we are back in Port Darwin, to finally go on shore leave ...

[Jefgte]

On February 19, 1914,  I was back on board and regained my position as Director of Fire on the battleship.
I inspect the firing points and turrets to verify that the equipment is in order. I have the men review the fire procedures for 254 turrets, I insist on absolute respect for our division's rate of fire in the event of a bad encounter.

The next morning, we set off to meet our supply ships in the Timor Sea.
They are in sight around 3pm and we greet them loudly on the decks...

At 5 p.m., the flagship called us to the practice firing stations. Our objective is a sandy island (Cartier island) at about 8000m. At 5:05 p.m., Barbarossa open fire. 10 seconds later, it's our turn, a shoot of 6 rounds of 254 ... too long. Bourgas follows us then, Foros.
The salvos follow each other at a rate of 10 to 12 seconds and I regularly observe clouds of sand, evidence of hits by our squadron. After 10 salvos, Barbarossa ceases fire. The exercise is over.
I report to the Captain:
"Captain, we fired 58 rounds in 10 salvos and hit the target twice in the 4th and 6th round. Very close hits were observed for the 7th and 9th salvo.
The 254 forward port turret suffered an electrical freight elevator failure and did not fire the 7th and 8th salvo. A quick repair made it possible to resume fire for the 9th and 10th salvo. "
The final repair is in progress. "
"Thank you Captain, the exercise is a relative success, the target was stationary and nobody shot us ...
The men followed the rate of fire perfectly and the ship held its place in the squadron. "
We are back to Port Darwin in the night...

[Jefgte]

On April 10, 1914, the entire 5th Battle Division accompanied by 4 TGB left Port Darwin in escort of troop transports and equipment. We pass near the island of Palau Jamdena then, the island of Tual. 2 days later, we see New Guinea through our binoculars. On April 15, at around 9 a.m., the battle alarm sounded on all the ships, a sign that we were approaching our objective. We bypassed the island of Palau Mansinam which blocked access to the port of Manokwari when 4 guns opened fire from a short distance on the Barbarossa. After locating the objectives, our 254 and 152 oriented to starboard opened fire just like those of the Admiral.
2 guns are instantly neutralized. While the Barbarossa is hit.
A minute later the fighting ceased, all the guns on the island were silenced.
The Admiral Ship reports a fire on the upper deck.
The TGBs are advancing towards the port to cover the disembarking of the troops.
In the face of the Empire's deployment of force and the threat of fleet cannons, the town's meager troops lay down their arms.
I will learn in the morning that the Barbarossa has been hit three times by shells, probably 150. One hit the front turret, without consequence. 2 others hit the battleship in the middle of the lifeboats starting a fire, quickly extinguished by the security teams. A funnel was pierced by splinters and a 76.2 gun was damaged and rendered unusable. 3 gunners were injured including one seriously.
I later found that they were transferred to the Hospital ship.
At the end of the afternoon, Admiral informed us that the town was taken without resistance.
On April 30, we left Manokwari with the supply ships to return to Port Darwin.
Manokwari is an outpost of the Empire's conquests, we leave the 4 TGBs in protection of the province.
During our return, the captain gives us a message from the Admiral Karta.
"Our troops have invaded the African province of Baidoa near Kismayo.
There were many skirmishes in the villages but this did not delay the advance of our army much.
South of Darwin, the conquest of the Northern Territories is over. It is a sparsely populated area which did not offer resistance.
Concerning us, the installations of Port Darwin are soon finished.
We will have a supply of ammunition, spare parts, fuel, food, and equipment for the army and navy. A big thank you to our supply ships who unloaded hundreds of tons of goods, technicians, engineers and specialized workers for our shipyards. "

[Jefgte]

The end of 1914 and the beginning of 1915 passed with cruises to Manokwari in Papua, Honiara in the Solomon Islands and Gladstone on the east coast of Australia. Our 5th Battle Division's cadenced-fire exercises are going better and better.
On July 4, 1915, we find the Peruvian Battleship Atahualpa built in our shipyards. She is escorted by cruisers Damas & Darea with a COL2 class supply vessel. We escort them to Honiara (Solomon Island). Then, they began the Pacific Ocean crossing and made a courtesy visit and supply to the Parthian base of Nuka Hiva in Polynesia. Ships arrived in Callao on August 28. Cruisers and the supply ship will be back in the Mediterranean by the end of the year.

On September 26, 1915 Admiral Karta informed us that our 5th Battle Division was leaving Port Darwin and returning to Diego Suarez for technical overhaul. Shortly after having supplied in the Cocos Islands, we meet the 6th Battle Division which takes our place in Port Darwin. Crews are on the decks, the ships pass each other with many sirens and hurray for the Empire. On October 15 in sight of Madagascar, Admiral Karta received a message from the Admiralty ordering us to divert to the Mozambique Channel to greet a Parthian Battleship and her escort. They were seen by TGB46 patroling off the Seychelles, heading 210. Leaving Diego Suarez, the cruiser Bahsis and 2 destroyers joined us shortly after. Off the Comoros, TGB 29 and TGB30 screen us ...
Finally we see the Parthian. I decide to go up to the telemetry station above the bridge to better observe the Parthian ships. We make a large turn to port to take a parallel route at about 1000m. Crews are on the decks. Admirals exchange salutes and jokes, judging by the laughter I hear below my observation post. It is a battleship escorted by a cruiser and destroyers. Binoculars of the bridges scan the ships. I recognize it, it is a battleship of the Gilgamesh class with 5 turrets including a central one, a splendid ship whose massive silhouette commands respect, her bow plows the sea ...
After 10 minutes, Admiral's siren sounds, the Gigalmesh responds. We turn to port. This time, we will return to Diego Suarez before the night.

Tonight, shore leave... Finally.
Beers, spicy foods, dances and girls, this is the program.

[Jefgte]

I was transferred in June 1916 to the cruiser Bourgas because the Admiral noticed that the salvos from this cruiser lacked regularity in both accuracy and rate of fire for our division. Shooting 4 ships in turn is not so easy.
Bourgas made a few sorties, always escorted by 2 TGBs, to carry out shooting exercises.
I put stronger, tougher men into the projectile handling and fixed the organization of the gun loading sequences on this cruiser.
The 2 telemetry stations give good coordinates ...
At the beginning of 1917, our 5th Battle Division's practice was deemed "satisfactory" by the Admiral.

In May 1917, our 5th Battle Division accompanied by the 1st Destroyer Division left to visit the African colonies.
Our Division is incomplete because the cruiser Foros, 4th in the line, has trouble with condensers and must remain in Diego Suarez for repairs.
We go up via the Seychelles then Kismaayo (Somalia). We then descend along the coasts of Africa, Mtwara (Tanzania) & Maputo (southern Mozambique), at the beginning of June. Each visit to our colonies is celebrated in such a way as to impress the natives with military parades with the fleet marching band, land companies and squadron crews.
The ships are open to visitors and dignitaries are received on the flagship. It is important to show the power of Byzantium in the colonies and the benevolence towards its inhabitants from whom the sailors buy junk and food.

During our transit to Diego Suarez. Admiral informs the squadron that the Foros must return to Alexandria for overhaul and that the new battleship Drasty is coming to replace it. It is a battleship similar to the Barbarossa but a little lighter.
On June 18, we make our entry into the bay of Diego Suarez. The Drasty arrives shortly after as the Foros is about to depart.
Exercises will resume soon to integrate Drasty into the division's fire cycle.

The 5th Battle Division now consists of:
BB Barbarossa (Flag), BB Mehmed II, BB Drasty, AC Bourgas ...