After the outbreak of hostilities between Russia and the Ottoman Empire on 29 October 1914, naval operations in the Black Sea primarily involved shelling coastal targets and laying mines.

The main adversary of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was the German battlecruiser Goeben, which, after breaking through to Constantinople along with the cruiser Breslau, was formally incorporated into the Ottoman navy as Yavuz Sultan Selim, although it was still known in practice by its original name.

[2] Additionally, due to the older construction of the Russian battleships, each hit could have serious consequences for them, especially in long-range duels, when steeply falling shells could penetrate the deck.

[3][4] The first inconclusive battle between the Black Sea Fleet and the Yavuz Sultan Selim occurred on 18 November 1914, near Cape Sarych, in which both sides' ships suffered damage.

[5] Parallel to the start of the Dardanelles Campaign by the Western Entente powers, the Russian command ordered demonstrative actions to divert the attention of the Ottomans, including shelling positions and a possible local landing in the Bosporus area.

[5] To this end, on 28 March, 25 April, 2 May, and 3 May 1915, the Black Sea Fleet shelled Ottoman fortifications north of the Bosporus, also using seaplanes carried by base ships in the action.

[note 4] The Russians also attempted to land a sabotage group from a motorboat towed by a boat to cause damage in the port, but they had to retreat (without casualties) due to rifle fire.

After receiving reports of the shelling of Ereğli, the battleship Yavuz Sultan Selim was ordered to take action against the Russian group and left the Bosporus in the afternoon.

[11] Before entering the strait, Yavuz Sultan Selim headed east, remaining in the Black Sea to locate the Russian main forces the next day and, if possible, surprise them while they were separated.

[13] The Ottoman destroyer Nümune-i Hamiyet, acting as a guard ship at the mouth of the Bosphorus, sighted the bombardment force at 5:40 A.M. and radioed a warning to Yavuz.

[note 5] Upon receiving information about the opponent, the main Russian commander, Admiral Eberhardt, directed the battleships of the covering force to the south to approach the bombardment group.

[15] The battleships Evstafi, Ioann Zlatoust, and Rostislav engaged in battle in line-ahead formation, while Yavuz Sultan Selim changed course to parallel them, sailing on their starboard side.

Subsequent five-gun salvos began to surround the flagship Evstafi, flooding the rangefinders with water spouts and damaging the splinter shields and wooden elements, although no direct hits were achieved.

[18] Rostislav (commanded by Captain of 1st Rank Kazimierz Porębski) did not participate in the bombardment to avoid interfering with the correction of fire for the 305mm guns of the stronger battleships.

Eventually, however, Yavuz Sultan Selim, after turning eastward, accelerated and easily escaped from its pursuers, disappearing from sight around 3 P.M.[21] Pantelimon also fired seven shots at a larger ship observed deeper in the strait (identified as a Turgut Reis-class battleship).

At 7:41 A.M., upon reaching the shallower waters where mine barriers could be present, the battleships of the main force turned north again, with the enemy approaching from the starboard side at a distance of about 15 nautical miles.

[14] Cruising 25 miles (40 km) off of the Bosphorus at 5 knots (9.3 km/h) was Russian Admiral Andrei Eberhardt's covering force, consisting of the newer pre-dreadnoughts Evstafi (the flagship), Ioann Zlatoust, and Rostislav.

[21] The German-Ottoman side interrupted the Russian operation to shell the Bosporus fortifications, but despite the favorable tactical situation, they failed to inflict any damage on the enemy fleet.

The command of the Russian squadron and its maneuvering by Admiral Eberhardt, which led to the effective combination of striking forces and hindered the German gunners' targeting, are highly praised.