Glasgow could make about 25 knots and the armoured cruisers about 23. Keeping Otranto limited the formation to roughly 18 knots, below the German squadron's approximately 22-knot design speed. Hull fouling and coal quality reduced German performance, but did not remove that difference. Cradock therefore lost the freedom to choose the distance while keeping his force together.
Notable Point · 2:17:37-2:18:37
Otranto took away Cradock's speed choice
The armed merchant cruiser Otranto reduced a potentially faster British formation to a speed below von Spee's squadron.