Quote Originally Posted by Kraxis
Well, the Goeben was pinned. If Troubridge had decided to press the issue then it is highly likely that a battle might have ensued. But I just don't think there wa much chance his ships could have seriously damaged the Goeben.
Depended on the opening range at dawn of that day. For sake of argument, I have assumed that the parties sight each other at about 2.0nm (Troubridge's hope) thus allowing his 9.2's to fight Goeben on more equal terms (his lesser ships more than matched the Breslau). Goeben would have been pressed to knock out 4 armored cruisers if it couldn't take them at range 1 by 1.

Obviously, the more likely scenario was a mid-morning long-range engagement, with Goeben having lots of time to fire before Troubridge could close -- which is why he turned round at 4am without pressing it.

The real thrust of my what-if was to have folks explore the ramifications of a different role for the Ottomans.