Seydi Ali Reis - Commander of The Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet

Commander of The Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet

While Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was at his winter residence in Aleppo towards the end of 1552, he appointed Seydi Ali Reis as the new Commander of the Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet, based in Suez (Egypt), with other homeports in Aden (Yemen) and Basra (Iraq). His predecessors in this rank included the famous Ottoman admiral and cartographer Piri Reis and admiral Koca Murat Reis, who had also participated in the Battle of Preveza in 1538.

Seydi Ali Reis departed from Aleppo on 7 December 1553 and, after visiting numerous religious sites and important cities in the region, finally arrived at Basra on the Persian Gulf towards the beginning of February 1554. His mission was to take the 15 Ottoman galleys anchored there, which were previously under the command of Piri Reis, to the chief homeport of the Ottoman Indian Ocean Fleet at Suez, on the Red Sea. Most of the 15 galleys were damaged in the previous encounters with the Portuguese fleet in the Indian Ocean. Seydi Ali Reis had the ships repaired and fitted them with new cannons, using the limited amount of resources and supplies which were available in Basra at that time.

About a month after the time of the monsoon came, Seydi Ali Reis had the troops embarked and the 15 galleys set sail towards Egypt. They were accompanied by the frigate of Sherifi Pasha until reaching the Strait of Hormuz. On the way to Hormuz, Seydi Ali Reis stopped at the ports of Arabia and Persia such as Bahrain, Dizful, Shushter, Bushehr, Qatif, Kish and Barhata. There was no sign of any Portuguese presence in the area, and the escort ship of Sherifi Pasha was sent back to Basra with the news that the Strait of Hormuz was safely passed. The 15 galleys of Seydi Ali Reis then proceeded by the coasts of Djilgar and Djadi on the Arabian Sea, past the towns of Keizzar/Leime, and 40 days after his departure from Basra, i.e., on the 10th day of the month of Ramadan, in the forenoon, suddenly encountered the Portuguese fleet (dispatched from its homeport in Goa) which consisted of 4 large ships, 3 galleons, 6 guard ships and 12 galleys - a total of 25 vessels. The two fleets almost immediately engaged each other, and one of the Portuguese galleons was sank during the initial exchange of cannon fire. The bitter fighting, which caused serious damage on both sides, continued until sunset, when the Portuguese commander ordered retreat with the signal-gun and withdrew his forces towards the Strait of Hormuz. The night was calm and the wind was favourable as the Ottoman fleet sailed towards Khorfakkan, where Seydi Ali Reis replenished his ships with water, before reaching Oman (Sohar). Seventeen days after the encounter with the Portuguese fleet, Seydi Ali Reis reached Muscat and Kalhat on the night of Kadir Gecesi, an important night in the holy month of Ramadan. In the morning that followed, Captain Kuya, the son of the Portuguese governor of Muscat, came out of the harbour with a fleet of 12 large ships and 22 galleons - 34 vessels in all. They carried a large number of troops. Soon the Portuguese and Ottoman forces confronted each other and both sides lost 5 vessels during the battle, the surviving crews of which were taken by the intact ships of the respective fleets, while some of them managed to land on the Arabian shore. Due to the strong currents and winds, both fleets were dragged eastwards during the encounter. Towards the night, the fleet of Seydi Ali Reis, including the Portuguese ships which were captured and towed behind the remaining Ottoman galleys, reached the Bay of Oman, but was not allowed to land by the locals. Seydi Ali Reis thus set sail eastwards, towards the open seas, and finally reached the coasts of Djash, in the province of Kerman, Iran. Despite the length of the coast, Seydi Ali Reis could find no harbour, and the Ottoman galleys roamed about for two days before they reached Kish-i Mehran. As the evening was far advanced the Ottomans could not land immediately, but had to spend another night at sea. In the morning, a dry wind carried off many of the crew, and at last, the forces of Seydi Ali Reis approached the harbor of Sheba.

There the Ottomans came across a brigantine, laden with spoils, whose watchman sighted and hailed the Ottoman galleys. The captain of the brigantine supplied the ships of Seydi Ali Reis with water, invigorating the Ottoman soldiers who had completely ran out of supplies. Escorted by the brigantine's captain, the galleys of Seydi Ali Reis entered the harbour of Gwadar. The people there were Balochis and their chief was Malik Jelaleddin, the son of Malik Dinar. The Governor of Gwadar came on board Seydi Ali's ship and assured him of his unalterable devotion to Suleiman the Magnificent. He promised that henceforth, if at any time the Ottoman fleet should come to Hormuz, he would undertake to send 50 or 60 boats to supply them with provisions, and in every possible way to be of service to the Ottomans. Seydi Ali Reis wrote a letter to the native Prince Jelaleddin to ask for a pilot, upon which a first-class pilot was sent to him, with the assurance that he was thoroughly trustworthy and entirely devoted to the interests of the Ottomans.