An item referred to the description of a correspondent of the British newspaper Times who stayed at Odessa during the Turkish attack. Apparently possessed the Turkish forces accurate information dealing with the berths of the ships in the harbour. Without problems hit 4 torpedoes of a Turkish torpedo boat the steamship Portugal. From there she passed without any obstruction the new quay entering the roads of Kabotazhny and started firing with her guns at the Russian gunboat Kubanetz and other vessels lying there. The wood-made superstructure and bridge of the Russian gunboat were destroyed and further more a full hit in her hull above the waterline. Two torpedoes were fired at the steamship Vitiaz with the engine room of the steamship Vampoa hit by a grenade. The harbour no. 2 which believed that on board of the Turkish torpedo boat happened a disaster wanted to support her not knowing that she was Turkish. After one of her crewmembers was killed by a hand grenade she fled. The Russian gunboat opening gunfire forced the Turkish torpedo boat to retreat which fired a last torpedo although without success. It was believed that the torpedo boat also was severe damaged while her guns were not long firing during her retreating. In the mouths of the Proeth were then 70 Russian cargo vessels and 14 tugs lying there, normally operated between Russian and Romanian harbours, which seek refugee for the Turkish fleet.(1)
Note
1. The attack on 29 October 1914 by the destroyers Gayret-I-Vataniye and Muavenet-I Milliye bouth built in Germany. In the harbour were lying the Russian gunboats Kubanets and Donets and the minelayer Beshtau and 4 merchant ships. The Donets and Beshtau sunk in the incident. The result was however that the Russian empire declared war on the Ottoman empire on 1 November 1914. The seagoing Black Sea gunboats Kubanets laid down at Sevastopol in May 1886 and the Donets laid down at Nikolayev in May 1886 had a main armament of 2x1-20,3cm guns and 1-15,2cm gun. The Muavenet-I Milliye laid down at Schichau Werft, Germany 2-7,5cm guns, 2-5,7cm guns and 3-45cm torpedo tubes.
