Ottoman frigates sustained the Caucasus supply route

The Ottoman war at sea initially served a practical logistical purpose. Poor maintenance and training kept larger ships from being activated reliably, so frigates formed the backbone of the available force. Frigates, steamers, and transports carried supplies between Constantinople and Ottoman armies advancing through the Caucasus toward Georgia. Those deliveries helped place parts of the Russian Caucasus force under real pressure and show that the Ottomans were not passive at the war's outset. Sinop's halfway position made it a useful intermediate port, but also a dangerous place to concentrate an outnumbered fleet once the Russian blockade strengthened.