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Erdogan Poaches Training Yacht From Navy

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Turkish President Erdogan Poaches Training Yacht From The Country's Navy
The ship joins a growing array of lavish transport options for the Turkish head of state, including a VVIP Boeing 747 the country acquired last year.
BY JOSEPH TREVITHICKDECEMBER 10, 2019
The Turkish Navy training ship and auxiliary transport Yakamoz in 2015.
YOUTUBE CAPTURE

It has emerged that the Turkish Navy turned over the yacht Yakamoz, which it had been using as a training and auxiliary staff transport ship, to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office more than a year ago. How Erdogan or his staff has been making use of the vessel since then is unclear, but it could be linked to the constrution of a new summer palace on the Mediterrean Sea. Regardless, the transfer fits with other efforts the Turkish government has pursued to expand the often lavish executive transport options, including a VVIP-configured Boeing 747-8i jet acquired from Qatar last year, as well as other amenities, available to the country's head of state.

Vice President Fuat Oktay disclosed that the transfer had occurred on March 16, 2018, in response to a question from Utku Cakirozer, a Turkish parliamentarian and deputy head of the Republican People’s Party, also known by its Turkish acronym CHP. Cakirozer's party is the main opponent in Turkey to Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, or AKP. CHP has been highly critical of Erdogan and his leadership, as well as his increasingly dictatorial policies and general behavior in recent years.
Istanbul Shipyard first began construction of the 495-ton displacement Yakamoz in 2000. The shipyard launched the vessel, which is just under 130 feet long, in 2006. The Turkish Navy formally accepted delivery of the yacht, which carried the hull number Y68 in naval service, in January 2015.


There is limited information available about the ship's activities between 2015 and 2018, with most of the available pictures and video being from its first year in service. It was reportedly refurbished following its transfer to Erdogan's office, but there do not appear to be any publicly available pictures of its interior. So, we can't tell how it stacks up against luxury yachts that belong to other world leaders, such as one that reportedly belongs to Russian President Vladimir Putin, or other wealthy individuals, such as the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Octopus.
Vice President Oktay had responded to Cakirozer's questions by saying that the Turkish government had originally ordered Yakamoz for presidential use. The clear implication here is that the transfer is simply about putting the ship to use for its intended purpose.

It's unclear if this is actually the case, however. An article in the May 2015 issue of the Turkish Navy's official magazine said that the ship, which it added could carry around 100 crew and passengers and had a range of around 3,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots, was marked use for "protocol purposes" when construction began in 2000. That same piece does say that in 2009, the decision was made to change its primary missions to that of staff transport and training ship.

Navies using yachts as training vessels and transports is hardly unheard of, too. Last year, the Omani Navy actually received an ex-royal yacht to use for these types of missions after the country's Sultan Qaboos bin Said bought a new one for his own personal use. There's no indication that, whatever its original intended purpose, the Turkish government had ever intended to place Yakamoz under the control of any organization other than the Turkish Navy.

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TURKISH NAVY
Yakamoz circa 2014-2015.
“Under conditions where an economic crisis is deepening, poverty is increasing and a wide segment of society is trying to get by on the minimum wage, does the Presidency really need a yacht?" Cakirozer had asked when requesting information about the yacht. "For what purpose and what services will this yacht be used?”
We don't know if he's gotten a response yet, but we do know that the Turkish government has been building a new summer residence for Erdogan in the Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris. Just in August 2019, authorities established a cordon around Okluk Cove, where the palace complex, which is reportedly four times the size of the famous Palace of Versailles in France, has been under construction. Private yachts, tour boats, and other personal and commercial vessels were told to leave the area or face fines.
Erdogan already has one massive presidential palace in the country's capital Ankara. This facility was originally intended to serve as offices and residence for the Turkish Prime Minister, a position that Erdogan held between 2003 and 2014. When he first took office as President in 2014, he then declared that it would become the new presidential offices and residence.

The summer palace project dates back at least to 2017 and CHP has alleged that Ergodan demanded that certain portions be demolished and rebuilt after inspecting the initial construction and finding it not to his liking. The opposition party has also said that, as of June 2019, Turkey had spent nearly $58 million on the residence, including approximately $5.2 million in new funding this year.


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GOOGLE EARTH
A satellite image showing the full extent of the Turkish presidential palace complex in Marmaris as of June 2019.
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GOOGLE EARTH
A close up shot of the main residential part of the complex, showing a small harbor with a pier for yachts at the upper edge. Satellite imagery shows that this feature was added some time between 2017 and 2018.
Ergodan's desire for the new palace in Marmaris was likely driven, in part, by the fact that he was staying in a private villa there when an abortive coup against him kicked off in 2016. A Turkish government Gulfstream IV business jet whisked him away and was harassed by F-16 Viper fighter jets belonging to the coup forces as it made its way to Istanbul.
Still, Erdogan has come under fire on other occasions for the government's acquisition of extreme luxury items for his personal use. Last year, Turkey also took delivery of a VVIP-configured Boeing 747-8i aircraft, a plane that costs at least $400 million new. This plane joined the rest of the country's VVIP fleet, which also includes Gulfstream IVs and Airbus A340 widebody airliners.

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N509FZ VIA WIKIMEDIA
Turkey's ex-Qatari 747-8i jet.
Ergodan's Administration claimed that in case the case of the 747-8i, the plane had been a gift from Qatar, but, again, it's unclear if this was actually the case. Turkey has been a major supporter of Qatar, which is embroiled in a simmering political spat with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others. The Turkish government spent considerable resources to bolster its Qatari counterparts and the jet may have been one of a number of ways authorities in Doha worked to pay back those debts.
Turkey's economy has seen something of an upswing recently, despite its own growing spat with the United States. That doesn't mean that the country's economic position has anywhere near recovered from the downturn in recent years and wouldn't justify Ergodan's decision to transfer the Yakamoz to his office back in 2018.
There does not seem to be a clear schedule for the completion of the Marmaris palace, but after it is done, we may see more of Yakamoz in Okluk Cove and further out in the Mediterranean.
 

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Being a leader of a country is seen as a prestigious and luxurious thing, by all people around the whole world. So I hope you aren't singling out Erdogan here. Every President we have lives in ultra luxury White House, their own Air Force One plane, travel everywhere and have their own chef and what not. In the Middle East its same thing with the Arab rulers and Israeli rulers. Most people want to come in to rule to amass wealth or go down in history as a great ruler. There are a few rare ones like our Prophet Mohammed who never strove for leadership but it came to him from the Lord. Those are the great rulers in Gods eyes and not the jokes obsessed with prestige and wealth we have all around the world today.
 

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Singling him out? I haven't seen any other stories like this, this one just happens to be about him.

A close up shot of the main residential part of the complex, showing a small harbor with a pier for yachts at the upper edge. Satellite imagery shows that this feature was added some time between 2017 and 2018.

And as rich a country as the US is, I don't think the President has this, so I would think it very excessive for such a poor country.
 

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Singling him out? I haven't seen any other stories like this, this one just happens to be about him.

A close up shot of the main residential part of the complex, showing a small harbor with a pier for yachts at the upper edge. Satellite imagery shows that this feature was added some time between 2017 and 2018.

And as rich a country as the US is, I don't think the President has this, so I would think it very excessive for such a poor country.

There are plenty of articles like that about other world leaders but you just want to focus on him. I don't care about him but I also don't care for your fake outrage and smear tactics. You are either against world leaders having lavish luxuries or not. The Air Force One cost alone is 1000 times more than the palace Erdogan built. And Turkey is not a poor country.

So you need better ways of smearing someone. On one hand you support Kurdish suicide bombers and terrorist groups but oppose Palestinian militant groups. Which makes no logical sense and shows you have an agenda and double standard. If you are really bothered by what you see as excessive for a president of one nation than you would some more like an activist of some sort.
 

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There are plenty of articles like that about other world leaders but you just want to focus on him. I don't care about him but I also don't care for your fake outrage and smear tactics. You are either against world leaders having lavish luxuries or not. The Air Force One cost alone is 1000 times more than the palace Erdogan built. And Turkey is not a poor country.

So you need better ways of smearing someone. On one hand you support Kurdish suicide bombers and terrorist groups but oppose Palestinian militant groups. Which makes no logical sense and shows you have an agenda and double standard. If you are really bothered by what you see as excessive for a president of one nation than you would some more like an activist of some sort.

Who is trying to smear anyone? I posted an article I thought was interesting, if it bothers you don't read it.
 

Falcon29

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Who is trying to smear anyone? I posted an article I thought was interesting, if it bothers you don't read it.

Stop being dishonest sir, you posted it so people can see how Erdogan is living like a lavish dictator. You want the viewers to make such connotations out of this.
 

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again, you got something going on in your head, I posted a few of the top stories off one of my favorite sites that I thought would be of interest here. Please, just ignore anything I post
 

Falcon29

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again, you got something going on in your head, I posted a few of the top stories off one of my favorite sites that I thought would be of interest here. Please, just ignore anything I post

If I post stories negative of Israel you're gonna just think I thought they be of interest for the forum? Or would you think I am anti-Israel and want to paint them in a bad light?
 

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Stop being dishonest sir, you posted it so people can see how Erdogan is living like a lavish dictator. You want the viewers to make such connotations out of this.

He is a dictator who changed Turkey's constitutions to stay in power.

Why are so fond of Erdogan?
 

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The economy is not in good shape and currency value


He is a dictator who changed Turkey's constitutions to stay in power.

Why are so fond of Erdogan?

If he's a dictator then so is every other Arab leader, including in your home country UAE. If you're down with overthrowing them all then I am down for it. I do not care for Erdogan but I care about change, and not just same traditional system smearing who they don't like yet never criticize themselves for anything.
 

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If he's a dictator then so is every other Arab leader, including in your home country UAE. If you're down with overthrowing them all then I am down for it. I do not care for Erdogan but I care about change, and not just same traditional system smearing who they don't like yet never criticize themselves for anything.

This is about Erdogan. I will be happy to go over your concerns regarding my (leader) in a separate thread. how about that?
 

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This is about Erdogan. I will be happy to go over your concerns regarding my (leader) in a separate thread. how about that?

No thank you, we can't keep dismissing the crisis at our hand. I don't care about Erdogan or Turkey, I don't hate them either. They are mostly Turkish nationalist doing their own thing and I don't interfere. They have done many good things like helping Syrians in Syria. But, as I am an Arab and I speak on Arab affairs and every post of mine will be to remind us that our rulers are anti-Islam Jew lovers who rendered us to being weak followers and not leaders that we used to be. And if they want me to believe they are better for the region than others then they need to show me what they are doing for us Arabs and our region.

We wouldn't even have anyone thinking about Erdogan or Iran if we have proper leadership in the Arab world. They would be thinking about us instead.
 

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If I post stories negative of Israel you're gonna just think I thought they be of interest for the forum? Or would you think I am anti-Israel and want to paint them in a bad light?
You wouldn't need to, you have made it clear to everyone that you are anti-Israel
 

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You wouldn't need to, you have made it clear to everyone that you are anti-Israel

Okay, so you see how you can come to a conclusion based on my posts content, I can also come to one based on yours.
 
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