Saint Georg first moved south to distract British pursuers of Goeben, then took part in an Italian coastal bombardment before the 1917 action around the Otranto Barrage. It was meant to support the returning Austro-Hungarian light cruisers, but the Allied force saw the approaching reinforcements while Saint Georg was still twenty-five nautical miles away. Italian destroyers nearly reached the damaged Novara before heavy Austro-Hungarian fire drove them off. Saint Georg ultimately escorted the force home, yet the episode raises a practical question about why its intended backup was not positioned closer before the raid began.
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Saint Georg and the Otranto Barrage response
Saint Georg's delayed reinforcement attempt at Otranto exposed how distance and readiness could blunt an armoured cruiser's value.