Ottoman Turkish sailors killed in tragic boat accident commemorated in Japan

KUSHIMOTO (A.A) - August 8, 2011 - Ceremonies were held in Japan on Monday to commemorate Turkish Ottoman navy sailors and officers who were killed over a century ago when their ship sank off-coast of the town of Kushimoto.
Turkish frigate TCG Gemlik and her crew attended the ceremonies, laying wreaths at the Turkish cemetery and hurling flowers at the waters the Ottoman Turkish mariners were killed in the Ertugrul Frigate which sank on September 12, 1890 after being caught up in a typhoon and drifted into a reef.
TGC Gemlik's commander Admiral Sinan Ertuğrul said the two nations had always extended a helping hand to each other whenever they were in need.
533 sailors, including the Ottoman frigate's commander Admiral Ali Osman Pasha, were killed and only sixty-nine sailors and officers survived the accident.
Those who were killed in the accident were buried in a cemetery near the Oshima village in Kushimoto.