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The pursuit of ''Goeben'' and ''Breslau'' was a naval action that occurred in the Mediterranean Sea at the outbreak of the First World War when elements of the British Mediterranean Fleet attempted to intercept the German ''Mittelmeerdivision'' consisting of the battlecruiser and the light cruiser . The German ships evaded the British fleet and passed through the Dardanelles to reach Constantinople, where they were eventually handed over to the Ottoman Empire. Renamed ''Yavuz Sultan Selim'', the former Goeben was ordered by its German captain to attack Russian positions, in doing so bringing the Ottoman Empire into the war on the side of the Central Powers. Though a bloodless "battle," the failure of the British pursuit had enormous political and military ramifications. In the short term it effectively ended the careers of the two British Admirals who had been in charge of the pursuit. Writing several years later, Winston Churchill—who had been First Lord of the Admiralty—expressed the opinion that by forcing Turkey into the war the Goeben had brought "more slaughter, more misery, and more ruin than has ever before been borne within the compass of a ship."〔Tuchman, Barbara W. ''The Guns of August''. New York: Macmillan, 1962, p. 187.〕 ==Prelude== Dispatched in 1912, the ''Mittelmeerdivision'' of the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy), comprising only the ''Goeben'' and ''Breslau'', under the command of ''Konteradmiral'' Wilhelm Souchon. In the event of war, the squadron′s role was to intercept French transports bringing colonial troops from Algeria to France. When war broke out between Austria-Hungary and Serbia on 28 July 1914, Souchon was at Pola in the Adriatic where ''Goeben'' was undergoing repairs to her boilers. Not wishing to be trapped in the Adriatic, Souchon rushed to finish as much work as possible, but then took his ships out into the Mediterranean before all repairs were completed. He reached Brindisi on 1 August, but Italian port authorities made excuses to avoid coaling the ship. This was despite Italy being a co-signatory to the Triple Alliance but had decided to remain neutral. ''Goeben'' was joined by ''Breslau'' at Taranto and the small squadron sailed for Messina where Souchon was able to obtain of coal from German merchant ships. Meanwhile, on 30 July Winston Churchill, then the First Lord of the Admiralty, had instructed the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Admiral Sir Archibald Berkeley Milne, to cover the French transports taking the XIX Corps from North Africa across the Mediterranean to France. The Mediterranean British Fleet—based at Malta—comprised three fast, modern battlecruisers (, , and ), as well as four armoured cruisers, four light cruisers and a flotilla of 14 destroyers. Milne′s instructions were "to aid the French in the transportation of their African Army by covering, and if possible, bringing to action individual fast German ships, particularly ''Goeben'', who may interfere in that action. You will be notified by telegraph when you may consult with the French Admiral. Do not at this stage be brought to action against superior forces, except in combination with the French, as part of a general battle. The speed of your squadrons is sufficient to enable you to choose your moment. We shall hope to reinforce the Mediterranean, and you must husband your forces at the outset." Churchill′s orders did not explicitly state what he meant by "superior forces." He later claimed that he was referring to "the Austrian Fleet against whose battleships it was not desirable that our three battle-cruisers should be engaged without battleship support." Milne assembled his force at Malta on 1 August. On 2 August, he received instructions to shadow ''Goeben'' with two battlecruisers while maintaining a watch on the Adriatic, ready for a sortie by the Austrians. ''Indomitable'', ''Indefatigable'', five cruisers and eight destroyers commanded by Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge were sent to cover the Adriatic. ''Goeben'' had already departed but was sighted that same day at Taranto by the British Consul, who informed London. Fearing the German ships might be trying to escape to the Atlantic, the Admiralty ordered that ''Indomitable'' and ''Indefatigable'' be sent west towards Gibraltar.〔Massie, ''Castles of Steel'', p. 31, who in turn cites McLaughlin, p. 49.〕 Milne′s other task of protecting French ships was complicated by the lack of any direct communications with the French navy, which had meanwhile postponed the sailing of the troop ships. The light cruiser was sent to search the Straits of Messina for ''Goeben''. However, by this time, on the morning of 3 August, Souchon had departed from Messina, heading west. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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