page_title: Avnillah-class ironclad
section_title: Modifications
hierarchical_section_title: Avnillah-class ironclad / Design / Modifications
caption_attribution_description: English: The Turkish ironclad Avnillâh was built by the Thames Iron and Shipbuilding Company, and it was featured in the May 20, 1870 edition of the periodical Engineering on page 358 (referred to as the Avni Illah), accompanied by some illustrations, including this one on page 353.
context_page_description: The Avnillah class was a group of two ironclad warships built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1860s. The class comprised two vessels, Avnillah and Muin-i Zafer. The two ships were built in Britain between 1868 and 1870. They were armed with a battery of four 228 mm guns mounted in a central casemate, making them central battery ships.
  Both ships served during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, where they operated against Russian forces in the Black Sea. They were primarily tasked with supporting Ottoman forces ashore, though Muin-i Zafer also helped to defend the port of Sulina. After the war, both vessels were placed in reserve, and saw no further activity until 1897, when they were mobilized at the start of the Greco-Turkish War. Like the rest of the Ottoman fleet, both ships were in poor condition and were unable to be used offensively.
  After the war ended, both vessels were rebuilt as part of a large reconstruction program aimed at modernizing the ancient Ottoman fleet. They returned to service with a new battery of four 150 mm Krupp quick-firing guns as guard ships, and in this capacity Avnillah was sunk in the Battle of Beirut during the Italo-Turkish War in January 1912.
context_section_description: Both ships received a pair of 87 mm (3.4 in) breech-loading guns manufactured by Krupp in 1882. At some point, they both also received new Scotch marine boilers, and their brigantine rig was removed, with heavy military masts installed in its place. The Ottomans planned to further strengthen the ships' armament with a pair of 63 mm (2.5 in) Krupp guns, two 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss revolver cannon, two 25.4 mm (1 in) guns, also manufactured by Hotchkiss, and a 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tube, but the plan came to nothing.
  In 1903–1906, both ships were heavily modernized, which included the installation of a conning tower, along with a complete replacement of their armament. Their old muzzle-loading guns were replaced with new 150 mm (5.9 in) Krupp 40-caliber guns, and a new light battery consisting of six 75 mm (3 in) quick-firing (QF) Krupp guns, ten 57 mm (2.2 in) QF Krupp guns, and two 47 mm (1.9 in) QF Krupp guns. During their reconstruction, both vessels had their box boilers replaced with Scotch marine boilers, though they retained the original engine. Their sailing masts were removed and were replaced with heavy fighting masts. The ships' crew increased to 220 officers and enlisted.
caption: Illustration of Avnillah as originally configured
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