On August 2 Wangenheim informed the Ottoman cabinet that the German Mediterranean squadron under Admiral Wilhelm Souchon was steaming towards Constantinople, known as the famous pursuit of the "Goeben" and "Breslau", and requested that the Ottomans grant the squadron sanctuary once it arrived (which the government gladly obliged to). On August 16, a phony deal was signed with the Ottoman government supposedly buying the "Goeben" and "Breslau" for US$86 million, but with the German officers and crews remaining aboard. On 24 September 1914, Admiral Souchon was appointed commander of the Ottoman navy.