Seydi Ali Reis - Dragged To Gujarat: Elephant Typhoon in The Indian Ocean

Dragged To Gujarat: Elephant Typhoon in The Indian Ocean

With a favorable wind Seydi Ali Reis left the port of Gwadar and again steered for Yemen. They had been at sea for several days, and had arrived nearly opposite to Zofar and Shar, when suddenly from the west arose a great storm known as the Fil Tufanı (Elephant Typhoon). The Ottoman fleet were driven back and were unable to set the sails, not even the trinquetla (stormsail). Night and day were both alike, and because of the frailty of the ships all ballast had to be thrown overboard. For ten days the storm raged continuously and the rain came down in torrents.

Seydi Ali Reis did all he could to encourage and cheer his companions, and advised them above all things to be brave, and never to doubt that all would end well. A welcome diversion occurred in the appearance of an "enormously large fish (probably a whale) about the size of two galley lengths, or more perhaps", which the pilot declared to be a good omen.

The color of the water suddenly changed to pure white, and at the sight of it the pilot broke forth into loud lamentations: he declared they were approaching whirlpools and eddies. Seydi Ali Reis mentions in the Mir'ât ül Memâlik (Mirror of Countries) that such whirlpools were found only on the coasts of Abyssinia and in the neighborhood of Sindh in the Bay of Debal (modern Karachi, Pakistan), and hardly ever a ship was known to escape their fury. After drifting for the entire night and day that followed, the water finally rose, the storm somewhat abated, and the ship veered right round.

The next morning the fleet of Seydi Ali Reis slackened speed and drew in the sails. A stalwart sailor was tied to the mast, whereby the post at the foot of the mizzenmast was weighted down, and the sailrope slightly raised. Taking a survey of their surroundings, the sailor caught sight of an idol-temple on the coast of Djamher. The sails were drawn in a little more; the ships passed Formyan and Menglir, and directing their course toward Somnath, they passed by that place also. Finally Seydi Ali Reis came to Diu, but for fear of being attacked by the idol-worshippers who dwelt there, the Ottomans drew in their sails and continued on their course. Meanwhile, the wind had risen again, and as the men had no control over the rudder, large handles had to be affixed with long double ropes fastened to them. Each rope was taken hold of by four men, and so with great exertion they managed to control the rudder. No one could keep on his feet on deck, so of course it was impossible to walk across. The noise was deafening; and the crewmen could not hear their own voices. The only means of communication with the sailors was by inarticulate words, and neither the captain nor boatswain could for a single instant leave his post.

After an exhausting voyage, Seydi Ali Reis and his men reached Gujarat in India - which part of it, however, they did not know. When the pilot suddenly exclaimed: "On your guard! a whirlpool in front!" the anchors were quickly lowered, but the ship was dragged down with great force and nearly submerged. The rowers had left their seats, the panic-stricken crew threw off their clothes, and, clinging some to casks and some to jacks, had taken leave of one another. Seydi Ali Reis also stripped entirely, gave his slaves their liberty, and vowed to give 100 florins to the poor of Mecca in case of survival. By that time two more anchors broke off and were lost, the ship gave a terrible jerk, and in another instant they were clear of the breakers. The pilot declared that, had they been wrecked off Fisht-Kidsur, a place between Diu and Daman, nothing could have saved them. Once more the sails were set, and Seydi Ali Reis decided to head towards India - duly taking note of the tides and currents, and having made a careful study of the charts, he had come to the conclusion that they could not be very far off from the Indian mainland. He examined the hold of the ship and found that the storeroom was submerged, in some places up to the walls, in some places higher still. They had shipped much water, and all hands set to work at once to bale it out. In one or two places the bottom had to be ripped up to find the outlet so as to reduce the water.

Towards the afternoon the weather had cleared a little, and they found themselves about 2 miles off the port of Daman, in Gujarat, India. The other ships had already arrived, but some of the galleys were waterlogged not far from the shore, and they had thrown overboard oars, boats, and casks, the wreckage of which eventually was borne ashore by the rapidly rising tide. Seydi Ali Reis and his men were obliged to lie for another five days and five nights, exposed to a strong spring-tide, accompanied by floods of rain; for they were now in the monsoon, or "rainy season" of India, and there was nothing for it but to submit to their fate. During all this time they never once saw the sun by day, nor the stars by night; they could neither use their clocks nor their compasses, and all on board anticipated the worst. It seemed a miracle that of the 3 ships lying there, thrown on their sides, the whole crew eventually got safely to land.