Turkish Coast Guard - Garde-côte turc

The Turkish Coast Guard (Ottoman Turkish: Rusumet Emaneti Teskilati, Turkish: Sahil Güvenlik Komutanlığı) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces and was established in 1859. Affiliated with the Guarding Administration (Ottoman Turkish: Muhafaza Memurlugu), the Coast Guard was responsible in controlling the coasts and fighting smuggling. During peace time, the Coast Guard it is under the command of the Turkish Interior Ministry, however, during emergency and war time it falls under the command of the Turkish Navy. The coast guard is organized into four area commands: the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara and adjacent straits, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

With a personnel strength of about 1,100, the coast guard is responsible for maintaining the security of the coast and territorial waters, and in the Aegean Sea of which the boundaries are under dispute with Greece. Coast guard is also responsible of search and rescue (SAR) operations, and for protecting the marine environment

Surface patrols are carried out by 52 patrol vessels and smaller craft. The most effective of these are 14 search-and-rescue vessels (220 tons) of Turkish design. Smaller 150 ton and 70 ton patrol boats of German design were nearing obsolescence in the mid 1990s. An ambitious construction plan foresaw a major strengthening of the service with eight new vessels of 350 - 400 tons and 48 ships of 180 - 300 tons.