Skirmisher and the similar scout cruiser Foresight joined a response force with the pre-dreadnought Agamemnon and the turbine-powered Town-class cruiser Lowestoft. The older scout cruisers could make about 25 knots and Agamemnon about 18, while Lowestoft had only a slight speed advantage at roughly 25.5 knots. Lowestoft therefore lacked the fighting power to hunt down an enemy battlecruiser and cruiser alone, while the heavier Agamemnon could not catch them. The enemy ships carried Ottoman names and flag but served under a German vice admiral with mainly German crews. A complete force already present at Imbros could nevertheless have combined armour, manoeuvre, and torpedo threats to complicate the attack. This concentration might even have deterred the sortie, although none of its components offered a satisfactory pursuit force by itself.
Notable Point · 40:41-43:32
The Imbros response force and the cost of too little speed
The mixed response force's speed table shows why it could alter the fight if present at Imbros yet lacked the speed and power to pursue the escaping Ottoman force.