Lion and Troubridge turn pursuit into a trap

Lion's superior speed means Goeben cannot simply draw away from a force that historically only just failed to catch her. Manoeuvring and battle damage would reduce Goeben's effective speed, allowing the slower British cruisers to close once Lion forced the action. If the German ship concentrates on Lion, the armoured cruisers can add their 9.2-inch guns, while engaging the cruisers would give Lion clear shots with her 13.5-inch battery. Chatfield combined Beatty's emphasis on speed and rate of fire with reasonable accuracy, making an undeflected firing opportunity especially dangerous. Breslau might use her own speed to escape, but the light cruiser was strategically secondary to destroying Goeben. The expected result is a short, punishing engagement in which every hit makes the whole British force more dangerous.