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04 August 2023 10 August 2023
This event repeats every year forever
As the beginning of World War I caught the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau far from friendly ports, their commander Konteradmiral Wilhelm Souchon was supposed to attack French troop convoys in the Mediterranean. After carrying out a bombardment of North African ports, his ships were ordered to seek shelter in Turkey.
While theoretically outgunned by the British fleet, admiral Souchon managed to avoid pursuit by a series of risky maneuvers and reached the safety of Dardanelles on August 10th, 1914. Based on the agreement between Germany and the Ottoman Empire, both ships were transfered to the Turkish Navy - along with their German crews and admiral Souchon was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the ottoman Navy on September 23rd, bringing the Ottoman Empire to war by his Black Sea raid against Russian targets on October 29th.
British ships shadowing the Goeben and Breslau before the beginning of hostilities.
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08 August 2023 20 August 2023
This event repeats every year forever
The Battle of the Gulf of Riga was one of the larger operations in the Baltic during WWI. Aiming to secure the Gulf and destroy the Russian units located there, it did lead to several encounters, however the goals were thwarted by strong resistance and minefields.
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08 August 2023 09 August 2023
This event repeats every year forever
This night battle, first of the surface engagement in the Solomons chain, was the worst defeat the US Navy suffered in its history.
Reacting to the Allied landing on Guadalcanal, Admiral Mikawa put together all available surface forces - seven cruisers and a single destroyer - and led them in first of the raids down the "Slot" from Rabaul to Guadalcanal.
Thanks to the superior night trainign and equipment, along with serious tactical and communication errors on the Allied side, the Japanese force managed to utterly surprise and defeat two of the three Allied surface groups, heavily damaging cruisers USS Chicago and HMAS Canberra (had to be scuttled later) of the Southern patrol group and sinking trio of Astoria class heavy cruisers in the Northern group.
USS Quincy under fire
Due to the time it took to get his ships back in formation and damage suffered by sporadic return fire, he decided not to risk his ships by pressing the attack further and instead retreated to Rabaul, losing the cruiser Kako to submarine torpedo on August 10th just 70 miles short of Rabaul.
In total, with air and submarine attacks, the Japanese lost one heavy cruiser against four heavy cruisers and one destroyer being sunlk on the Allied side. Moreover the attack did lead to decision to withdhraw cargo ships from Guadalcanal, leaving the Marines ashore with limited supplies and equipment.
After losing three ships of Astoria class including the lead ship in one battle, the class was renamed after the second ship, USS New Orleans.
8th Fleet (VAdm Gunichi Mikawa)
Chokai (flagship) - light damage Cruiser Division 6 (RAdm Goto) Aoba (flagship) Furutaka Kako - torpedoed on August 10th Kinugasa Cruiser Division 18 (RAdm Matsuyama) Tenryu (flagship) Yubari Screen Yunagi
Task Force 62 (RAdm Turner)
Task Group 62.6 - Western Screen (RAdm Crutchley) HMAS Australia (flagship) - part of Southern Group, not present) Radar Pickets USS Blue USS Ralph Talbot - damaged Southern Group HMAS Canberra - damaged, scuttled USS Chicago - damaged USS Bagley USS Patterson - damaged Northern Group USS Vincennes - sunk USS Quincy - sunk USS Astoria - sunlk USS Helm USS Wilson Task Group 62.4 - Eastern Screen (RAdm Scott) USS San Juan HMAS Hobart USS Monssen USS Buchanan Unattached USS Jarvis - damaged by air strike on August 8th, retreating independently to Australia, sunk by air strike on August 9th
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