Action of 8 January 1916

Action of 8 January 1916 Part of World War I Date January 8, 1916 Location Black Sea Result Tactically inconclusive; Strategic Russian victory[1] Belligerents  Russian Empire  Ottoman Empire Commanders and leaders Andrei Eberhardt Wilhelm Souchon Strength 1 dreadnought battleship 2 destroyers 1 battlecruiser Casualties and losses None 1 battlecruiser lightly damaged

The Action of 8 January 1916 was a naval encounter between the Russian dreadnought Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya and the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim in the Black Sea. After a brief exchange of fire the Ottomans withdrew.

Battle

On 8 January 1916, Yavuz Sultan Selim was scheduled to arrive off of Zonguldak to cover the entrance of the empty 4,400 ton collier Carmen. Early that morning the collier was intercepted by the Russian destroyers Pronzitelnyi and Leitenant Shestakov off of Kirpen island and sunk.^[2] As she was returning to the Bosporus, Yavuz spotted the two destroyers and gave chase. The destroyers retreated and radioed a warning to the recently commissioned dreadnought Imperatritsa Ekaterina II, which increased speed to come to their aid.

Imperatritsa Ekaterina II opened fire at 18,500 meters (20,200 yd) with her 12-inch guns, forcing Yavuz to turn to the southwest to avoid being struck. The Russian battleship fired 96 rounds and scored no hits, though some near misses did cause splinter damage to the battlecruiser.^[2] The Ottomans fired 60 rounds, but couldn't bring their 11-inch guns into range, and withdrew after 30 minutes.^[3] The Russians attempted to pursue, but the Yavuz was faster and outran them.

Aftermath

The engagement was the only ever battle between dreadnoughts on the Black Sea.^[3][4] Though the incident was only a minor confrontation, it solidified Russia's naval superiority and deeply troubled Admiral Souchon.^[1] Already outnumbered and outclassed in cruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats, the Ottomans no longer held a dreadnought advantage over the Russian Empire. From then on Russia would continue consolidate its hold on the Black Sea and Yavuz would eventually shift her operations to the Dardanelles.

References

1. McMeekin, Sean (2015). The Ottoman Endgame: War, Revolution, and the Making of the Modern Middle East, 1908-1923 (illustrated ed.). Penguin Publishing Group. p. 317. ISBN 9781594205323.
2. Halpern, Paul G. (11 October 2012). A Naval History of World War I. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781612511726.
3. Tucker, Spencer C. (28 October 2014). World War I: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection [5 volumes]: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection. I (illustrated, revised ed.). ABC-CLIO. pp. 264–265. ISBN 9781851099658.
4. Noppen, Ryan K. (20 July 2015). Ottoman Navy Warships 1914-18. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 9781472806208.