At his later court-martial, the Ottoman commander produced a letter from the naval minister instructing him not to let the ships be damaged. That written constraint helps explain why preserving the fleet could override the operational need to contest the Aegean. His background is harder to assess: Dr. Clarke found little biographical information, particularly in English or Turkish, and more material in Greek. This limit on the available account prevents a detailed comparison of the two commanders' careers.
Notable Point · 1:01:23-1:02:09
Orders not to risk ships constrain Ottoman command
A naval-ministry order not to let the fleet be damaged helps explain Ottoman caution and complicates attempts to assign responsibility to the fleet commander alone.