Q&A ยท 45:27-46:13

Could a naval force capture Constantinople?

The answer stresses that a 1915 fleet carried rifle-trained sailors and Marines and could compel a city with naval gunfire.

Question

How could a supposedly pure naval force capture Constantinople?

Short answer

By landing rifle-trained sailors and Marines and using naval bombardment; the fleet was not a purely shipbound force.

Notes

A First World War naval force was not confined to ship-to-ship combat. Sailors had small-arms experience, Marines provided trained landing troops, and heavy guns could coerce or suppress urban defenses. That gave a fleet limited but real capacity to seize and hold key points while larger land forces arrived. The fleet could compel entry into the capital, although sailors alone could not provide its long-term occupation and administration.