Q&A · 4:25:32-4:26:05

If the pre-dreadnoughts broke through the Dardanelles

A successful naval breakthrough could knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war, with Queen Elizabeth backing the old battleships.

Question

What if the Allied pre-dreadnought force had pushed through to Istanbul during the Dardanelles campaign?

Short answer

A breakthrough could force the Ottoman Empire out of the war, and the defenders lacked a ship able to defeat the whole Allied force.

Notes

The attacking force was not simply a collection of expendable pre-dreadnoughts; Queen Elizabeth supplied modern heavy-gun support. If the mines and forts were overcome and the fleet reached Istanbul, the political effect could remove the Ottoman Empire from the war. Goeben or other German-supplied ships would struggle against the combined force available for the operation. The answer remains conditional because commanders at the time did not believe the remaining risk was acceptable, but it explains why the abandoned push continues to attract counterfactual debate.