In response to the visit to Istanbul by Imperial Prince Komatsunomiya Akihito and his wife from the Imperial family of Japan in 1887, it was decided that the Ertuğrul, a wooden frigate (built in 1864 with a total length of 76 m) would be dispatched, to Japan; this would also serve as a training voyage for the Ottoman Empire Navy, which lacked sufficient training at that time.
木造フリゲート艦エルトゥールル号（1864年建造、全長76m）は、1887年に行われた日本の皇族、小松宮彰仁親王夫妻のイスタンブル訪問に応えることを目的に、訓練不足のオスマン帝国海軍の練習航海を兼ねて日本へ派遣されることとなった。