A brief Black Sea engagement in which Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim interrupted a Russian operation to shell the Bosporus fortifications without inflicting serious losses.
Key Facts
- Date
- 10 May 1915
- Theater
- Black Sea, north of the Bosporus
- Russian force type
- Pre-dreadnought squadron
- Ottoman vessel
- Yavuz Sultan Selim (battlecruiser)
- Russian operation goal
- Shelling Bosporus fortifications
- Outcome damage
- Minor damage to Yavuz; Russian fleet largely unharmed
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Russian Black Sea Fleet launched a major operation to bombard the Bosporus fortifications during World War I, deploying a squadron of pre-dreadnought battleships. The Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim was in a position to intercept the Russian force.
On 10 May 1915, the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim engaged the Russian pre-dreadnought squadron in a brief exchange of fire north of the Bosporus. Neither side sustained significant damage before the Ottomans withdrew from the engagement.
Although the Ottomans retreated, the intervention of Yavuz Sultan Selim forced the interruption of the Russian shelling operation against the Bosporus fortifications. The battlecruiser suffered only minor damage, and the Russian fleet was not significantly harmed by the encounter.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent