On 8 January 1916 the Russian dreadnought Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya and the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim encountered one another in the Black Sea.

On 8 January 1916, Yavuz Sultan Selim was scheduled to arrive off of Zonguldak to cover the entrance of the empty 4,400-gross register ton (GRT) collier SS Carmen.

The destroyers retreated and radioed a warning to the recently commissioned dreadnought Imperatritsa Ekaterina II, which increased speed to come to their aid.

Imperatritsa Ekaterina II opened fire at 18,500 meters (20,200 yd) with her 12-inch guns, forcing Yavuz to turn to the southwest to avoid being struck.

[1] Already outnumbered and outclassed in cruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats, the Ottomans no longer held a dreadnought advantage over the Russian Empire.