An overseas squadron weakened Germany at home

Further German expansion in the Pacific would have offered Britain and its allies more isolated targets while weakening Germany's principal naval theatre. A cruiser lost abroad represented a larger share of German combat power than the British ships assigned to hunt it, especially when allied navies could contribute. Goeben and Breslau illustrate the qualification: tying down British forces elsewhere still left Germany without those ships in its home fleet. Imperial prestige therefore carried a direct cost in ships unavailable to the High Seas Fleet.