Off Trukey, after firing on...

history · 20 January 1918 · 106 years ago

Off Trukey, after firing on the Cape Kephalo lookout at Imbros Island and sinking the Royal Navy monitors Lord Raglan and M28 in Kusi Bay, German Admiral von Rebeur Paschwitz positioned his ships to bombard Mudros Bay. At 0830 hours however, the Breslau struck a mine, and almost at the same time a British aircraft, from Imbris, hit her with a bomb. The battlecruiser Goeben turned to try and take the stricken cruiser in tow, but also exploded a mine and began to list to port. The helpless Breslau drifted over four more mines which also detonated and blew off her stern. Within minutes the Cruiser sank with the loss of two thirds of her 370-man crew. Admiral Paschwitz abandoned his mission and, under constant air attack, made haste back towards the Dardanelles which he reached (after running over another mine) but then ran aground at Nagara Point. It would take a week before the battlecruiser could be pulled free during which time she would suffer more heavy damage from air attack. 

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