Thirteen Turkish naval ships paraded through the Istanbul Strait on Sunday as Türkiye marked the 488th anniversary of the Battle of Preveza and Navy Day.

The procession organised by the Defence Ministry included TCG Istanbul, the country’s first domestically built frigate.

As the Turkish frigate passed the Barbaros Monument on the Besiktas waterfront, sailors aboard the frigate saluted the nearby tomb of Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, the Ottoman admiral who led the fleet to the historic victory against the Holy League.

"On the anniversary of the victory, we commemorate Grand Admiral Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, our glorious ancestors, our Commander-in-Chief Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and all our martyrs and veterans with mercy, gratitude, and respect," the Turkish Defence Ministry said on X.

The procession included a range of TCG naval vessels, accompanied by two submarines.

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said the 1538 victory continued to inspire Türkiye’s efforts to achieve energy independence at sea. In a post on X marking the anniversary, he said Ankara would keep working towards “full energy independence” using its own ships, engineers and equipment.

The Battle of Preveza followed a series of Ottoman naval gains in the Mediterranean that prompted several European powers, including Venice, Spain and the Papal States, to assemble a fleet under Genoese admiral Andrea Doria.

Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha’s fleet of 122 ships defeated the allied European fleet of 262 ships, more than twice its size, according to data cited by AA.

The Ottoman victory is widely regarded by historians as a turning point that consolidated the empire’s naval power in the Mediterranean.