The Battle of Elli (Greek: Ναυμαχία της Έλλης, Turkish: İmroz Deniz Muharebesi) or the Battle of the Dardanelles was a naval battle fought on 16 December [O.S. 3 December] 1912, during the First Balkan War in the Aegean Sea, off at the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait and the island of Imbros, between Ottoman and Greek naval forces. The Ottoman navy aimed to break the Greek blockade at the entrance of the Dardanelles. The battle, in which the Greeks, under the command of Pavlos Kountouriotis, consisted of one battleship cruiser, three pre-dreadnoughts, and four destroyers, while the Ottomans, under the command of Ramiz Numan Bey, consisted of two pre-dreadnoughts, two battleship corvettes, one cruiser, and four destroyers, was the largest naval engagement of the Balkan Wars.
The Ottoman fleet, having sailed through the Dardanelles, encountered the Greek fleet patrolling the area. The battleships that formed the main force of the fleets engaged in combat. The Greek battleship Averof, using its speed advantage, separated from the other battleships and engaged the Ottoman fleet alone. Following this, both sides ceased fighting and retreated to their ports.
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