Greek, Turkish Warships Collide

On August 14, 2020, at the height of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, two Greek and Turkish naval ships accidentally collided.

The Turkish naval frigate Kemal Reis hit the Greek naval frigate Limnos when the Greek vessel got into the path of the Turkish ship.  The Turkish ship suffered minor damage, and the Greek navy claimed their vessel was undamaged. No injuries were reported by either side.

In a situation where both nations’ military forces are on heightened alert due to their ongoing maritime territorial disputes, it is incredibly dangerous that ships of the opposing forces were able to get close enough to actually collide on the open sea.  This is how wars accidentally begin. Given the current state of tension between Greece and Turkey, and the long history of Greco-Turkish wars and conflicts, this type of situation is intolerable.

Let us hope that this ship-collision incident helps keep the two naval forces apart and prevents a more serious incident that may lead to a shooting war between Greece and Turkey, which would be disastrous for the region and the NATO alliance.