Turkiye Holds Massive Naval and Air Parade in Honor of Centennial of Country's Birth - Videos

The largest parade in Turkiye's history involving 100 warships accompanied by drones and aircraft took place in Istanbul on Sunday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic.

A Sputnik correspondent was on hand to witness the grand parade, which was led by the Turkish Navy's flagship, the TCG Anadolu, touted as the world's first amphibious assault ship and V/STOL aircraft carrier with a deck specifically designed for drones to be able to take off from. The parade also featured additional aircraft and helicopter carriers, submarines, frigates, corvettes, fuel tankers, auxiliary vessels and other ships of the Turkish Navy.

14 aircraft, including Turkish F-16s and F-4 Phantoms from Air Force Command, accompanied the warships, with the 1st Army Command performing a 101 gun salute as the ships passed.

The event attracted large crowds of spectators, who sang patriotic songs and waved Turkish flags. The movement of cargo ships and most ferries through the Strait was suspended for the duration of the parade, but some ferries and sailboats, as well as coast guard cutters, could be seen traveling alongside the ships during the ceremonies.

This year marks the centennial of the Turkish Republic's creation, with the country established in the aftermath of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and proclaimed by the nation's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, on October 29, 1923.

"Our country is in safer than ever and in competent hands, you may rest in peace," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a wreath-laying ceremony at Ataturk's tomb earlier in the day. "We will be successful and victorious. No imperialist powers can prevent this," Erdogan vowed.

"Just as emphasized by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, it is our foremost responsibility to ensure the perpetual existence of our Republic, which was originally established as a protector of the vulnerable," Erdogan said.