Admiral Sir Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge, KCMG, CB, MVO (15 July 1862 – 28 January 1926) was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the First World War.

He and his commanding officer were heavily criticised for their failure to intercept the German ships, particularly when it subsequently appeared that they became influential in the Turkish decision to enter the war.

He married twice; his second wife, the sculptor Margot Elena Gertrude Taylor, left him to begin a relationship with the writer Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall.

During his service with the fleet he was awarded the silver medal of the Royal Humane Society, when in 1888 he saved the life of a young seaman who had fallen overboard in the night while their ship was in Suda Bay, Crete.

With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, he went to sea with the Japanese warships and was present at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay and the subsequent operations off Port Arthur.

[5] After carrying out a shore bombardment, the Germans were observed to coal at Messina, causing Milne to send most of his force to wait west of Sicily, to prevent Souchon from interfering with French troop convoys.

Troubridge and his force of four cruisers were sent to cruise west of Cephalonia in case Souchon should try to enter the Adriatic and join the Austro-Hungarian fleet.

They were shadowed by the light cruiser HMS Gloucester, which reported that the Germans did not intend to enter the Adriatic, but were in fact heading east towards Cape Matapan.

[6] Troubridge resolved to intercept the German squadron and headed southwards to do so, but his flag captain, Fawcet Wray, argued against seeking battle.

'[7] Troubridge's signal was transmitted shortly afterwards: 4.49am, 7/8/14, to Milne:Being only able to meet Goeben outside the range of our guns and inside his, I have abandoned the chase with my squadron.

After investigating the events surrounding the chase of Goeben and Breslau, the court of inquiry decided to court-martial Troubridge on the grounds of his failure to engage the enemy.

[1] After deliberating, the court came to the conclusion that the charge was not proved, owing to the nature of his orders and the Admiralty's failure to clarify them, and Troubridge was 'fully and honourably acquitted'.

[1][2] The British naval mission to Serbia was intended to support Serbian efforts to resist the Austro-Hungarian flotilla, consisting of monitors and patrol vessels, operating on the Danube.

[1][2] Allied control of the Danube became strategically vital after the Gallipoli Campaign began, as it prevented river-borne supplies from reaching the Black Sea, from where they could be transported to Turkey.

[1] Despite initial success in preventing Austro-Hungarian domination of the waterway, the entry of Bulgaria into the war and the combined Austrian-German-Bulgarian offensive in October caused the disintegration of the Serbian position.

Troubridge and his force retreated with the Serbian army to the Adriatic coast, reaching the small port of San Giovanni di Medua.

[1] Troubridge was rescued by the Italian Royal Navy and contributed to the overseeing of the withdrawal of the remains of the army and many thousands of refugees to Corfu throughout December and January.

[1][2] On 16 December he was joined by Lieutenant Commander Charles Lester Kerr, his flag-lieutenant, who had escaped with his men across the Albanian mountains during an attempt to save the remaining 4.7-inch guns.

Troubridge quickly requested the formation of a new naval brigade, to be supported with artillery and torpedo gear in order to prosecute the Danube campaign, but this was rejected by the Admiralty in favour of a gunboat flotilla.