M.F. TRUVA

Turkish Maritime Lines

Istanbul, Turkey.

 

Photo taken in Istanbul, Turkey. 1988.

 

Built:

1966. Dubigeon-Normandie S.A., Nantes. France. Upgraded in 1982.

Technical:

Overall length: 91.5 m
Beam: 16.44 m
Draft: 4.19 m
Gross Tonnage: 4332 tons
Passengers: 584
Power: Four 8 Cylinder MWM diesels.
Service Speed: 19.0 knots

Operating Routes:

Mostly operated on the overnight Istanbul - Izmir line, with occasional cruises in the Northern Mediterranean in the first half of her life. Later, she worked in the Marmara and Black Sea coastal route between Bandirma/Istanbul, Gokceada/Canakkale and Istanbul/Zonguldak/Samsun/Trabzon/Rize lines.

Sister (or similar) Ships:

M.F. Istanbul, with slight superstructural differences. She was built in Turkey at the Camialti Shipyard in Golden Horn, Istanbul and delivered to TDI on December 12th, 1970. She operated on the same routes as M.F. Truva. She burned in May 29th, 1992 in the Sea of Marmara after a fire broke up in the machinery room during a regular Istanbul-Izmir sailing. She was declared a total loss and went to breakers in Aliaga, Izmir, on March 14th, 1993. Read more here in Turkish.

Former Names:

None.

Later Names:

None.

Owners:

- July, 1966 - Feb, 2002: Turkish Maritime Lines (TDI), Istanbul, Turkey.

History and Current Status:

She was built by Dubigeon-Normandie S.A. shipyard in Nantes, France in 1966. Being a lucky ship, she served under the logo of the Turkish Maritime Lines all her life. While being used mostly in the coastal Turkish routes along the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean, she also did occasional cruises under charter to various European companies in the eighties and the nineties. In May 1984, she was damaged because of a fire that broke out in her garage during refits/repairs at Halic shipyard. She was then repaired and returned to active duty. In May 2001, she was put for sale on auction. She was then purchased by Hurdasan A.S. shipbreakers and on January 2002, she was towed to Aliaga to be broken up. Interestingly, she broke a line while being towed in the Straits of Dardanelles and drifted out of contol for a while until her control was regained by the towing tug. In the meanitme, the entire Straits was closed to traffic. Who can blame her for wanting to stay in the waters that she crossed thousands of times in her 36 year lifespan!

(email all info about her to ata.bilgili@dartmouth.edu)

Notes:

The good old M.F. Truva! I have such great memories on her! At a time when travel from Istanbul to the warmer Aegean and Mediterranean regions required taking a ferry because of the conditions of roads between Izmir and Istanbul, she meant two things to me: vacation and of course happiness! She was the first step that our family had to take to reach our summer residence in Gulluk, Mugla. The overnight travel from Istanbul to Izmir via the Sea of Marmara, the Straits of Dardanelles and the Northern Aegean was always a pleasant one. You usually embarked on a rainy and cloudy Istanbul day and early next morning, when you woke up in the Bay of Izmir, it was always blue and bright. We used to drive from Izmir to Gulluk after disembarking, but this was a very easy and joyful 3-hour morning drive. The entire trip was a time to bond with my father and mother, since they worked full time.

M.F. Truva was not the only ship that one could take betwen Istanbul and Izmir and vice versa: M.S. Karadeniz, M.S. Iskenderun, M.F. Istanbul and later M.F. Ankara are the other vessels that I remember sailing on the same route. I have been on M.F. Truva three times, two in the late 70's and one in the early eighties. We were on pullman seats on the first one and had cabins on two later ones. Although there were people swimming in the small pool (when it was not covered with a net, of course!) on the stern, we usually laid low either on the sun deck, around the funnel or around the pool. Time was spent mostly having beverages and enjoying the view, every now and then interupted by an occasional ship passing by, jumping dolphins or a fish feeding frenzy scenario. Seagulls usually followed the boat until we were 4-5 hours away from Istanbul. They used to feed on the "simit"s and other goodies thrown away by passengers. I remember giving them names! It was always sad to see them disappear after the nightfall, while still trying to make out the white silhouettes of the last one or two remaining, illuminated by the lights of the ship.

Crossing of the Straits of Dardannelles was always made at night. It was such a great experience to watch the flickering lights of the small villages all along the coast, while letting the warm wind carress my face on the forward bridge deck. I always waited until we were out of the channel, well into the Aegean, to go to sleep. I remember watching and hearing the eerie sounds of ships passing by, with their lights on. The nicely illuminated sight of the great Gallipoli Monument (Canakkale Sehitler Abidesi) on the peninsula of Gallipoli was the landmark that marked the end of the crossing towards the Aegean.

From what I remember, M.F. Truva has always been a well-kept ship. She was always shipshape, clean and nicely painted. The cabins were small, as expected from a daily trip ferry, but very clean and well kept. The inside bar/buffet and the outide bar by the pool were usually open until late at night. They used to lock the garage doors after the departure so you had to take everyting that you needed from your car in the beginning of the trip. I remember being able to reach the bow on earlier trips but on the last one, the passage was blocked! This was pretty sad at the time since some of my best times were spent on the bow, looking down at the bow wave! The endless! stairways and narrow hallways were forming a great maze for a youngster to investigate and run around! I had so much of a good time on that ship!

Now, as one might guess from the memories above, it was pretty sad for me to hear that she was off to breakers! However, this is life and we must move on! I now need a new ship to attach myself and my 1.5 year old son to! :)

Links:

- M.F. Truva page from the Internet Ferry and Cruise Gallery by Micke Asklander.

Line Drawings:

Other Pictures:

Other Pictures:

Postcards from My Collection: