Thank you for Your Service: TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa decommissioned

 

In this photograph captured in February 2022, TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa is seen departing her homeport in Tuzla for sea trials of the Aselsan Gökdeniz air defence system. The gun can be seen at the rear of the vessel under cover.

The Turkish Navy announced that the Rhein class multi-purpose ship TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa was decommissioned on 25 February 2024.

The ship was a patrol boat tender for the German Navy. She was built in Schlichting Shipyard in Traveminde as FGS Donau and commissioned to the German Navy in 1964. She was recommissioned into the Turkish Navy in 1997 and replaced her sister ship FGS Isar taking the same name and pennan number.

TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa and her sister TCG Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Paşa have fulfilled a lot of different missions while in the Turkish Navy. Both have been used as training ships for the cruises of naval cadets for many years.  They were used as flagships when the Turkish Navy was in command of NATO SNMCMG-2.

Furthermore, TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa was also used as a test platform for various weapon systems. One of them was the Gökdeniz close-in weapon system. The tests on board of the ship were widely reported. A lesser-known testing was performed for a kind of underwater sensor. The details of these tests were not shared with the public.

With the decommissioning of TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa chapter in the Turkish Navy’s history comes to a close. This vessel, with its rich heritage from its days in the German Navy to its extensive service in Turkish waters, leaves behind a legacy of steadfastness and adaptability. Thank you for your services.