At the start of the First World War, Black Prince served in the First Cruiser Squadron and joined the pursuit of Goeben and Breslau. She then operated in the Red Sea with HMS Duke of Edinburgh, protecting convoys and searching for German merchant shipping before capturing the ocean liners Südmark and Istria. An order to Gibraltar would have placed her in an Anglo-French search for German warships off Africa, but that mission was cancelled once survivors of the Battle of Coronel revealed the German East Asia Squadron's position. Black Prince joined the Grand Fleet in December 1914 before her wartime refit addressed the class's low casemate guns.
Chapter · 30:14-31:42
Black Prince before the Grand Fleet
Before joining the Grand Fleet, HMS Black Prince pursued Goeben and Breslau, protected Red Sea traffic, captured German merchant ships, and prepared to search for warships off Africa.