The Ottoman navy has attracted less historical analysis than many other aspects of Ottoman military history, which may be attributed to the lack of narrative sources that focus primarily on the naval forces of the empire. However, archival documents can be used to remedy this deficiency. To demonstrate this, an outstanding exception, Tuhfetu’l-kibar fi Esfari’l-Bihar, by Katib Çelebi, d. 1657, which covers naval history in the Ottoman Empire from 1453 during the reign of Mehmed II until 1656, the year before his death will be compared with the Muhimme Registers. This narrative source is rich in covering many aspects of Ottoman naval forces including battles and information concerning outstanding admirals. However, Katib Celebi’s account is merely the tip of the iceberg, failing to present a more complete picture of the role of the Ottoman navy in the everyday life of the empire. A variety of sources exist to explore other aspects of the navy, such as financial records used by Idris Bostan in Osmanlı bahriye teşkilatı. Beyond sources devoted primarily to naval forces, the Mühimme Registers of the Ottoman Empire provide a wealth of information relating to the navy, which might rate the merest passing mention in Katib Çelebi, or be passed over in total silence. For the reign of Süleyman, some examples exist, which will be analyzed in this paper, by comparing and constrasting the information provided by Katib Çelebi with a sampling of documents from the registers. These include the events of 1551, recorded in one of the earliest surviving registers. Looking at a percentage of documents included in the first half of this register, fully 10 percent relate to naval matters. In Katib Çelebi, information on naval events in this year required less than one folio page. Another example from the reign of Suleyman concerns the year 1560, when Katib Çelebi gives a brief account of Admiral Piyale Pasha’s victory at Djerba, but includes nothing about defense against piracy or defending Azak an Ottoman port on the Black Sea from attacks instigated by Russia. This paper argues that without using Ottoman documents, a very partial history of the empire is produced. While many different types of documents are in existence this paper will argue the value of the Mühimme registers for specifically studying Ottoman history as they place naval affairs in a larger imperial context.