The SS Bandırma was a small, old steamer. On 16 May 1919 it left Istanbul with Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his staff, and three days later it docked at Samsun. The date everyone remembers is 19 May. The ship’s own story is longer than that, and it starts in Scotland.
This article answers the questions people ask about the ship. What was it? What does the name mean? Which photos show the real vessel? Where can you see it today?
What was the SS Bandırma?
English sources call the ship SS Bandırma. It was a steamship used for cargo and passengers. It was built in 1878 in Paisley, Scotland, and it was not called Bandırma then. Its first name was Trocadero.
A Greek shipowner, H. Psicha, bought it in 1883 and renamed it Kymi. In 1891 it sank after an accident. It was then refloated and returned to service.
In 1894 it passed to İdare-i Mahsusa, an Ottoman shipping administration, and was renamed Panderma. Under that name it carried cargo and passengers across the Marmara Sea. Its stops included Tekirdağ, Mürefte, Şarköy, Karabiga and Erdek.
Think of it as a regional ferry. It did the kind of job a commuter boat does today: short hops, mixed loads, nothing glamorous.
SS Bandırma ne demek? The name explained
People search “ss bandırma ne demek” because the ship has had four names. The Turkish phrase Bandırma Vapuru means the Bandırma steamer. The English form is SS Bandırma.
The ship got the name Bandırma on 28 October 1910. It then served as a mail steamer under the Ottoman Seyrüsefain İdaresi, the Ottoman navigation administration. So the name you know belongs to the last chapter of a ship that was already over 30 years old in 1910.
Why was Mustafa Kemal on board?
Mustafa Kemal Pasha travelled as Inspector of the 9th Army. His official task was to end the unrest in the Black Sea region. That was the stated reason for the trip.
According to historian Nasrullah Uzman, as reported by Anadolu Agency, the War Ministry obtained a visa for the party from the British Occupation Command on 14 May 1919. Two days later the ship sailed.
Who was on the ship?
The Atatürk Encyclopedia counts 18 people in the staff party besides Mustafa Kemal. It counts 25 crew members besides the captain. The captain was İsmail Hakkı Durusu.
Among the passengers were Refik Saydam, who later became prime minister, along with Refet Bele, Kazım Dirik and Hüsrev Gerede.
The ship was not a luxury liner. It had 20 beds in the first-class cabin and 16 in the second-class cabin.
The voyage, day by day
The Bandırma left Istanbul in the afternoon of 16 May 1919. Before it entered the Black Sea, the British searched it. The passengers were not detained.
Memoirs describe a warning that the British might sink the ship. The Atatürk Encyclopedia states that this did not happen. Treat the sinking story as a memoir tradition, not as an event.
A Karadeniz Technical University publication adds that Mustafa Kemal asked the ship to sail close to the coast. If there was danger, it could be run aground.
The weather turned bad. Hüsrev Gerede’s diary says the staff stayed in their bunks on 17 May. The ship called at İnebolu that day.
On 18 May it reached Sinop. A study published by TÜBA says it entered Sinop Port at midday and stayed until 20:00. Gerede writes that the staff sat on deck in the sun once they arrived.
In Sinop, Mustafa Kemal asked whether he could go on to Samsun by land. He learned there was no suitable road and no vehicle, so he continued by ship.
One story says he went ashore at Sinop. Hüseyin Hilmi Uluğ says otherwise. He recalls that Mustafa Kemal stayed aboard because he was unwell and answered an invitation with a visiting card. The sources disagree, so this detail stays open.
On 19 May 1919 the Bandırma reached Samsun Port. Mustafa Kemal and his companions came ashore.
Timeline
- 1878: Built as Trocadero in Paisley, Scotland.
- 1883: Passed to Greek ownership and was renamed Kymi.
- 1891: Sank in an accident and was refloated.
- 1894: Passed to İdare-i Mahsusa and was renamed Panderma.
- 28 October 1910: Began service as the mail steamer Bandırma.
- 16 May 1919: Left Istanbul for Samsun with Mustafa Kemal Pasha and his party.
- 17 May 1919: Called at İnebolu.
- 18 May 1919: Stopped at Sinop Port, then continued toward Samsun.
- 19 May 1919: Reached Samsun.
- 5 November 1925: The original ship was ordered sold as scrap.
- 12 July 2026: The museum ship was moved from Doğupark in Canik to İstiklal Meydanı Kurtuluş Yolu in İlkadım.
SS Bandırma photos: which ship are you looking at?
If you search for “ss bandırma photos”, be careful. Many images show a large vessel. The Atatürk Encyclopedia says the claim that the historic Bandırma was a big ship comes from a mix-up. Those pictures show the Medway, an 870 gross-ton ship that took the name Bandırma in 1926.
That is seven years after the Samsun voyage. The ship in the large photos is a different vessel with the same name.
A good rule: check the date and caption before you trust a picture. If a photo claims to show the 1919 voyage but the ship looks like a sizeable liner, it is probably the wrong ship.
What happened to the original ship?
A decision dated 5 November 1925 sold the real Bandırma as wreckage to İlhami Bey, a ship breaker in Balat. It was broken up.
The Samsun museum ship is not that vessel. It is a copy, made to reproduce the look and dimensions of the 1919 steamer.
Visiting the museum ship in Samsun
Here the information changes quickly, so read this part before you plan a trip.
An older listing from the Samsun Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism gives the Doğupark address. It lists visiting hours of 08.00–16.45, with Monday opening at 12.00. That record is out of date. On 12 July 2026 the copy was moved to İstiklal Meydanı Kurtuluş Yolu in İlkadım.
At the move, municipal official Necdet Çamaş tied a visit to the surroundings to the end of landscaping work. He gave May 2027 as the target for opening the museum. That is a target, not a fact yet.
You should confirm current access with the Samsun tourism office before travelling. Do not rely on the old Doğupark hours.
Details you won’t find in guidebooks
- A sunken ship that returned. The steamer sank in 1891 and was refloated. It was back in service before it ever carried Mustafa Kemal.
- Bunks and sunbathing. In Hüsrev Gerede’s diary, rough weather kept the staff in bed on 17 May. At Sinop they sat in the sun on deck.
- The brass nameplate. After the original was broken up, its brass nameplate was fitted to another ship with the same name.
- A museum that walked. The 240-tonne museum ship was moved about 3.5 kilometres overland on a system of 72 wheeled independent axles in July 2026.
- A visa from the occupiers. The party travelled with a British visa dated 14 May 1919.
FAQ
When did the SS Bandırma leave Istanbul and when did it reach Samsun?
It left Istanbul in the afternoon of 16 May 1919. It called at İnebolu on 17 May and Sinop on 18 May. It reached Samsun Port on 19 May 1919.
Who was the captain of the Bandırma on the Samsun voyage?
The captain was İsmail Hakkı Durusu. The Atatürk Encyclopedia lists 25 crew members besides him.
Is the ship in Samsun the original SS Bandırma?
No. The original was sold as scrap under a decision dated 5 November 1925 and broken up. The ship in Samsun is a copy built to recreate its appearance and dimensions.
Why do some SS Bandırma photos show a huge ship?
The Atatürk Encyclopedia says such images were confused with the Medway, an 870 gross-ton ship that took the name Bandırma in 1926. The 1919 ship was not that vessel.
Can I visit the Bandırma museum ship in Samsun now?
The copy was moved on 12 July 2026 to İstiklal Meydanı Kurtuluş Yolu in İlkadım. A municipal official tied visits to the surroundings to the end of landscaping, and gave May 2027 as the target for the museum opening. Old listings with the Doğupark address and hours are out of date, so check with Samsun’s tourism office before you go.
Sources
- English Wikipedia — SS Bandırma en.wikipedia.org
- Turkish Wikipedia — Bandırma Vapuru tr.wikipedia.org
- Atatürk Encyclopedia — Bandırma Vapuru ataturkansiklopedisi.gov.tr
- Anadolu Agency — Kurtuluşun ve umudun vapuru: Bandırma aa.com.tr
- Karadeniz Technical University — Zamanın İzleri, Yüz Yıl Önce Dünya Sathında İlk Adım, İlk Söz ve Mücadele ktu.edu.tr
- TRT Haber — Bandırma Vapuru’nun Yolcuları interaktif.trthaber.com
- Anadolu Agency — Bandırma Gemi Müzesi karadan yürütülerek İstiklal Meydanı’na taşındı aa.com.tr
- Samsun Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism — Bandırma Gemi Müzesi samsun.ktb.gov.tr
Image: Bandirma-edited.jpg — Kurt Kulac, CC BY-SA 3.0
