The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-16
NAVAL. BATTLES OF THE
WORLD WAR
by G.. KAY SPENCER.
written for the international
News Service.)
THE GOEBEN AND BRESLAU in
THE BLACK SEA

tSs1fAGaA OH
II was on the morning of November
20, 1914. that the Western world re-
celved the news of a naval engage
ment In the Black sea, resulting in a
Russian defeat. The Goeben and the
Breslau, erstwhile German cruisers
had met and stood off the entire Rus
sian Black sea division, composed of
two battleships and Ave cruisers. The
action was one of many occurring in
all corners of the world, as the armed
sea forces of the contending powers
were settling to a balance after the
hr&tt thrill! Of this na44of1's anger The
heavy fleets had scurried to their
bases, there to prepare for attack or
defense, as their strategy dictated.
An allied cruiser division was taking
up stations of blockade and heavier
ships We're securing the seas In fleet
formation in search OF enemy fleets
caught in the storm. In every sea
GERMAN cruisers were terrorizing
commerce and destroying less enter
prising British vessels of war.
The little cruisers Goeben and Bres-
lau were trapped In d North African
port by a British fleet. The f1rst dark
! ness that settled down, while the ships
on each side were watched alertly
| found the German cruisers making
/ plans to elude the British watch dogs
IN the dead of night tho English flag
snip received a message from her
wireless in the secret code Of the ad-
mlralty 1t was an order to permit
their quarry to escape Tho British.
/ with the idea that the admiralty's
! strategical plan called for a tempo
rary liberation of the enemy cruisers,
accordingly relaxed their watch and
| the Germans slipped out They made
straight way for the Hellespont, where
they were received into tho Turkish
| navy They formed tho only Turkish
units enterprising enough to keep the
sea and fight. Many times they bonn
| barded Russian harbors and brought
homo merchant prizes and sank
| others
On the 18th Of November a division
or the Russian Black sea fleet. return
Ing from cruise to Sebastapol, near
the coast OF Anatolis, sighted, twenty
five miles from the Bhersones light,
a Turkish detachment, consisting OF
the Goeben and the Breslau
The Russian feet imediatefy drew
10 battle order and promptly opened
fire at flye-mile range They had
brought the Goeb~n to starboard. The
Breslsu stood Off for some purpose
only known to the German command
err and did not at any time engage
-
of l2-inch guns from the Russian
flagship, Admiral Evstafry. struck the
Goehen. A slight explosion amidships
was noted by the Russians, and fam es
We're seen to break on the Goeben.
The fire was quickly suppressed and
appeared to have been only a small
blaze caused by a lucky hit
Immediately the blaze was subdued
the Goeben let loose A heavy fire from
tall her batteries, concentrated on the
Russian flagship. The Evstafrv turned
out or the line and fed, and was
promptly covered by the second in the
Russian line, which in it's turn also
got its share of Turkish attrition. It
turned and was covered by the cruis-
ers. The Russians began a withdraw
ing movement, which was not him
| dered by the Goeben or the Rreslau
| which cruisers also refused TO pursue
| the Russians. as they ohscured them
| selves in the fog.
+ the mysterious action OF the Pres-
| lau during the entire battle was a
puzzle to the Russian commander who
was compelled to maintain the STRAIT
egg OF the action in such a manner
as would always allow for the entrance
Of the powerful enemy cruiser In
the diversion thus brought about II is
possible the Breslau played n role as
effective as II she had been actually
engaged What the Breslau expected
to meet out on the horizen while the
night proceeded VIII only he explained
by time. In the opinion of naval ex-
perts the Russian feet could have