A night breakout and commerce-raiding concept

One possible breakout would begin with a covert night departure followed by a high-speed run through the strait and into Mediterranean trade routes. A forward-based ship could quietly assemble its crew, raise steam after dark, and cross most of the strait away from the Italian shore. Italy's battleships might possess the guns to destroy such a raider but not the speed to catch it, forcing smaller ships to hunt in groups. That dispersion could weaken the Otranto barrier and create an opportunity for the larger Austro-Hungarian fleet.