British and French squadrons join forces at the entrance to the Adriatic
On 15 August 1914 British and French squadrons joined forces at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea. Three days after Britain and France declared war on Austria-Hungary, the Allies began joint operations against the Habsburg fleet.
Joint command
The union of forces put into effect the naval convention concluded in London on 6 August. Under it, command of the Allied fleets in the Mediterranean passed to the French admiral Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère. France contributed the main forces to the combined squadron, including modern battleships, and the British the cruisers and destroyers that had remained in the Mediterranean after the escape of the Goeben and Breslau to the Dardanelles.
Blockade of the Adriatic
The Adriatic was the sea on which the whole fleet of Austria-Hungary was based, with its main ports at Pola and in the Bay of Kotor. Its only exit to the Mediterranean led through the Strait of Otranto between Italy and Albania. By controlling the strait the Allies could shut the Austro-Hungarian fleet up in the Adriatic and secure the troop transports from North Africa to France.
The Allies also wanted to help Montenegro, whose coast was being blockaded and shelled by Austro-Hungarian warships. The very next day, 16 August, the combined fleet sailed deep into the Adriatic and sank the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta off the Montenegrin coast.
Significance
The blockade of the Adriatic became one of the Allies’ main tasks in the Mediterranean right up to the end of the war. The Austro-Hungarian fleet rarely left its bases, and engagements in the Adriatic were usually small in scale. After Italy entered the war in 1915, the Allies built a barrage of nets and patrols in the Strait of Otranto, intended also to stop German and Austro-Hungarian submarines.
Remember the articles you have read? Only in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere.How it works
Read ·
Spotted a mistake?Report an error
Meanwhile
(04)Elsewhere in the same days.
- 15 August 1914 · Asia and the PacificJapan issues an ultimatum to GermanyOn 15 August 1914 Japan demanded that Germany withdraw its warships from Far Eastern waters and hand over the Kiautschou lease with the port of Tsingtao.
- 14 August 1914 · Western FrontBattles of Morhange and Sarrebourg beginOn 14 August 1914 the French armies launched a great offensive in Lorraine. It began a series of battles that ended in defeat at Morhange and Sarrebourg.
- 14 August 1914 · Eastern FrontGrand Duke Nicholas issues a proclamation to the PolesOn 14 August 1914 the Russian commander-in-chief urged the Poles to fight Germany, promising to unite the Polish lands under the Tsar with autonomy.
- 16 August 1914 · Western FrontLast forts of Liège fallOn 16 August 1914 the last forts of Liège, wrecked by heavy artillery, capitulated. The road into the heart of Belgium lay open to the Germans.
Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 16 August 1914 · War at seaAustro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta sunkOn 16 August 1914 an Allied fleet surprised the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta off the coast of Montenegro and sank her. 173 sailors were killed.
- 19 September 1914 · War at seaFrench fleet bombards KotorOn 19 September 1914 French battleships shelled Austro-Hungarian batteries at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, covering the withdrawal of their own cruisers.
- 6 August 1914 · War at seaFranco-British naval conventionOn 6 August 1914 France and Britain concluded a naval convention in London. A French admiral took command of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean.
- 26 April 1915 · War at seaSinking of the cruiser Léon GambettaDuring the night of 26–27 April 1915 the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-5 sank the French cruiser Léon Gambetta at the mouth of the Adriatic. 684 men died.