TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Naval battle · 1912
The Battle of Elli or the Battle of the Dardanelles took place near the mouth of the Dardanelles on 16 December [O.S. 3 December] 1912 as part of the First Balkan War between the fleets of the Kingdom of Greece and the Ottoman Empire. It was the largest sea battle of the Balkan Wars.
| Date | 16 December [O.S. 3 December] 1912 |
|---|---|
| Location | Off the Dardanelles, Aegean Sea, |
| Result | Greek victory |
| Belligerents | Greece | Ottoman Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Pavlos Kountouriotis | Ramiz Bey |
| Strength | 1 armoured cruiser 3 ironclad battleships 4 destroyers | 3 battleships 1 ironclad 1 protected cruiser 4 destroyers |
| Casualties | 2 killed | 18 killed 41 wounded 1 battleship damaged |
The Ottomans suffered 7 killed and 14 wounded on the Barbaros Hayreddin, 8 killed and 20 wounded on the Turgut Reis, and 3 dead and 7 wounded on the Mesudiye. This victory was quite significant in that the Ottoman Navy retreated within the Straits and left the Aegean Sea to the Greeks who were now free to take the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Lemnos and Samos and others. It also prevented any transfer of Ottoman troop reinforcements by sea and effectively secured Ottoman defeat on land.
Took place during the reign of Mehmed V (1909–1918). Mehmed V
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.