The Naval Battle of Lemnos, January 5, 1913.

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΑ

"The Naval Battle of Lemnos was the greatest naval event that took place in the Aegean after the unparalleled victories of the Greek Revolution. By definitively securing Greece's naval dominance, it played a decisive role in preventing the enemy's troop transports, thus contributing substantially to the victorious conclusion of the entire Balkan War."

"Eleftheron Vima", January 6, 1933.

During the early months of the war, despite the capture of Lemnos and the initiation of operations to liberate the Aegean islands, the Ottoman fleet remained protected within the Dardanelles Straits, avoiding any sortie into the Aegean. However, Admiral Kountouriotis' challenge would be answered by the Turks on December 3, 1912, at 08:20, when the Turkish fleet was spotted exiting the Straits.

As soon as the Greek fleet's reconnaissance units reported the Ottoman fleet's movement, Vice Admiral Kountouriotis, eager for a decisive battle, rushed to intercept them and issued the now-historic signal:

"With the help of God and the blessings of our King, I sail with unstoppable momentum and confidence toward victory against the enemy of our nation. — Kountouriotis."

The Turks opened fire first at a range of 12,500 meters, while the Greek fleet held fire until 12,000 meters. The Turkish battleships primarily targeted Averof with rapid fire but failed to hit their mark. Averof, however, also struggled with precision at this stage.

At 09:35, with the fleets separated by just 9,500 meters, Admiral Kountouriotis broke formation, freeing the rest of the Greek fleet from the flagship's movements. Utilizing Averof's superior speed, he surged ahead at 21 knots, maneuvering in an arc in front of the Turkish line. His goal was to outflank the Turkish battleships and place them between Averof's fire and that of the rest of the Greek fleet.

Averof executed the maneuver alone, braving concentrated fire from the Turkish fleet and coastal batteries. It came as close as 2,850 meters to the enemy.

When the Ottomans realized the maneuver would succeed completely and that their fleet faced the risk of annihilation, they turned sharply, retreating 160 degrees back into the Dardanelles under the protection of the coastal batteries at Seddulbahir and Kumkale. Georgios Averof, now effectively alone, pursued the retreating Turkish fleet to within 2,850 meters, even under fire from land-based batteries.

At around 10:25, Kountouriotis decided to cease the pursuit. The battle ended, and the Turkish ships re-entered the Dardanelles.ακόπτεται και τα τουρκικά πλοία εισέρχονται στα Δαρδανέλια.