KWhorenet wrote:is that the little 10 - 15 lb powder charge he's carrying ?
No mate it's a complete 355 mm shell for the gun pictured.
This gun sits outside the Istanbul military museum and is the same as the ones that formed part of the defences over the Dardanelles. All of the original Turkish defences were melted down 50 odd years ago and this may be one of the only samples remaining.
As for how he's carrying it I believe that is how these shells were carried (most likely with straps over the shoulders) but probably only short distances between crews it's quite a common image over there and may be more symbolic than anything else.
Remember the Otomans with only 2 battle ships dealt a huge defeat to the British and allied navy's which is what sparked the Gallopili campaign. That victory is still celebrated today
Chronos