The four cruisers could operate effectively together, but they lacked the weight to force the exit from the Adriatic on their own. Austro-Hungarian plans for punching through Otranto therefore became full-fleet operations rather than independent cruiser missions. A fleet breakout reduced the formation to roughly 20 knots, the speed of the Radetzky or Tegetthoff class. Geography converted the cruisers' 27-knot speed from a decisive operational tool into a local tactical advantage that could not by itself open the route to the Mediterranean.
Notable Point · 28:54-30:48
Otranto nullified the cruisers' speed advantage
Breaking the Strait of Otranto required a fleet effort, tying 27-knot cruisers to 20-knot battleships and erasing their chief advantage.