Turkey denies claims 14 warships ‘unaccounted for’

Turkey has denied claims that 14 Turkish ships are at sea and unaccounted for amid reports their commanders were conspirators in a failed coup.

According reports on Tuesday, Veysel Kosele, the admiral in command of the Turkish navy, has been out of contact since Friday night’s attempted coup.

It is not known whether Kosele is part of the plot or whether he was being held hostage by collaborators.

However, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said:

“Nothing missing… all boats, planes, tanks – everything accounted for. A few rebel soldiers are still on run.”

The Turkish Navy operates a wide variety of ships, including; 16 frigates, 8 corvettes, 13 submarines, 23 missile boats, 28 patrol boats, 32 mine countermeasures vessels, 29 landing ships, and various auxiliary ships. The total displacement of the Turkish Navy is approximately 259,000 tonnes.

The Turkish military coup failed on Saturday morning as soldiers surrender after many dead and hundreds arrested.

Crowds confronted the coup plotters and gunfire and explosions were heard. At least 60 people died in the exchanges.

The president returned to Istanbul, calling the coup attempt an “act of treason” and saying the army must be cleansed. He told crowds the government was now back in control.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim ordered the military to shoot down aircraft being used by coup plotters, with a helicopter being shot down by an F-16.

At least 60 people are understood to have died with more than 700 members of the armed forces have been detained. 17 Turkish police officers were killed in a helicopter attack at the police special forces headquarters just outside of Ankara.

Reuters reported that in early hours of Saturday local time, the coup appears to have “crumbled” as crowds defied pro-coup military orders and gathered in major squares of Istanbul and Ankara to oppose the coup. Reuters also reported pro-coup soldiers surrendering to the police in Taksim Square, Istanbul.