With the Italo-Turkish War all but over by early October, the Balkan League declared war on the Ottomans, having been encouraged by Italy's easy victory. Both ships were pressed into action, initially to support Ottoman forces defending against the advance of Bulgarian troops in Thrace. In December, the fleet was reorganized to challenge the Greek Royal Hellenic Navy in the Aegean Sea; "Barbaros Hayreddin" was the flagship of the armored division. The division sortied to attack the Greek fleet in December, leading to the Battle of Elli, where the Greek armored cruiser used her superior speed to outmaneuver the Ottoman squadron, placing it in a cross-fire between "Georgios Averof" on one side and the three s on the other. The Ottomans retreated back to the Dardanelles in disorder. A second attempt to break the Greek blockade of the Dardanelles occurred on 18 January 1913, resulting in the Battle of Lemnos. "Barbaros Hayreddin" and "Turgut Reis" were both hit several times but suffered relatively minor damage before withdrawing once again to the Dardanelles. The Ottoman fleet spent the rest of the war operating in the Sea of Marmora and the Black Sea against Bulgarian forces, helping to protect the Çatalca garrison through March.