ÇANAKKALE — 1953 · Major Tragedy

The Dumlupınar Submarine Disaster

ClosedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On the night of 4 April 1953, the Turkish Navy submarine TCG Dumlupınar was returning from a NATO exercise when it collided with the Swedish-flagged cargo ship Naboland off Nara Point in the Dardanelles. The collision, at around 02:10, sank the submarine within a short time. Rescue efforts were defeated by the currents and the depth, and 81 sailors lost their lives. The incident is regarded as one of the most painful accidents in Turkish naval history. Its anniversary, 4 April, is observed every year in Turkey as the Day of Remembrance for Naval Martyrs. On the 70th anniversary in 2023, the 81 sailors lost in the strait were commemorated once again at a ceremony in Çanakkale.

Date: 1953
Place: Central (off Nara Point), Çanakkale
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Closed
Coordinates: 40.1950, 26.3900 ↗

Timeline of Events

4 April 1953Dumlupınar collided with the Naboland off Nara Point at around 02:10 and sank.
April 1953Rescue efforts failed; 81 sailors lost their lives.

Every 4 AprilThe disaster is marked as the Day of Remembrance for Naval Martyrs.
4 April 2023The Dumlupınar dead were commemorated in Çanakkale on the 70th anniversary.

Sources

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