Ankara was a operated by the Ottoman Navy between 1906 and 1912. She was built in Italy during a larger modernization of the fleet, and operated for six years. During the Italo-Turkish War, she was scuttled after two Italian cruisers attacked Beirut on 24 January 1912.
Development and design In the early 20th century, Sultan Abdul Hamid II began a modest modernization of the neglected Ottoman Navy following a buildup of the rival Greek Navy. Rather than construct ships for their military capabilities, his government ordered warships from foreign governments as a diplomatic measure to serve as compensation for the destruction of foreign assets during domestic unrest in the 1890s. In 1904, the Navy ordered seven torpedo boats from Italy, with a similar design to the ordered several years prior. The orders from Ansaldo, Armstrong & Co in Genoa were the last part of compensation payments to Italy.
The seven s had a length between perpendiculars of , with a beam of and a draught of . They displaced and carried a complement of 20. Propulsion was provided by two propellers powered by triple-expansion steam engines supplied by two locomotive-type boilers. The first two vessels developed and had a maximum speed of , while the remaining seven produced and had a maximum speed of . The boats carried of coal. Armament consisted of two Hotchkiss revolving cannon and two torpedo tubes.
Service history
Initially designated Yard Number 136, Ankara was laid down in April 1904, launched that year and preformed sea trials throughout 1905 before she was handed over to the Ottomans at Genoa on 29 November 1906. She was commissioned in December at Istanbul During the Italo-Turkish War, Italian heavy cruisers Gisuseppe Garibaldi and Francesco Ferruccio bombarded Beirut on 24 January 1912. At 11 am, Gisuseppe Garibaldi entered the port and torpedoed the Ottoman ironclad Avnillah. Ankara was the only other Ottoman warship in the port; her captain believed resistance would be futile, and ordered the torpedo boat to be scuttled.
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