Ramiz Bey faced pressure to challenge Greek advances while obeying orders not to risk the fleet. Constantinople was strategically and symbolically important to Greeks, Bulgarians, and Russians, so a naval collapse could invite several powers to exploit Ottoman weakness. Near the Dardanelles forts the fleet strengthened sea denial, but that defensive value diminished sharply beyond coastal-gun support. Within that defensive combination, the ships prevented an attacker from concentrating solely on the forts, making fleet survival a form of strategic deterrence.
Notable Point · 46:33-49:54
Why Ottoman fleet survival was tied to Constantinople
Ottoman caution reflected the fear that losing the fleet would expose the empire's European territories and perhaps Constantinople itself.