During World War I, upon the war turning into trench warfare in Europe, Britain aimed to open a new front in Çanakkale or the Balkans, capture Istanbul, separate the Ottoman State from Germany, and prevent an undecided Bulgaria from joining the Central Powers.

When the Ottoman forces’ assault on the Suez Canal on February 3, 1915, failed, Britain redirected its forces in Egypt towards the straits.
The Allied powers, with a fleet consisting of 16 battleships, 6 destroyers, 14 mine-sweeping vessels, and an aircraft carrier, began bombardment on the “Fortified Area Entrance Group Batteries” on the morning of February 19, 1915.

The Entrance Group included the Ertuğrul, Seddülbahir, Kumkale, and Orhaniye batteries, along with some mobile howitzer batteries positioned near Erenköy, while the Central Group had the Anatolia and Rumelia batteries.

Due to adverse weather conditions, the second bombardment took place on February 25. Between February 26 and March 17, the Allied fleet conducted mine-sweeping operations, but on the night of March 17-18, the Nusret Minelayer laid mines in Erenköy Bay and the strait passage.

The Allied fleet launched a major offensive with its first shots at 11:15 AM on March 18. After fierce clashes lasting until 6:00 PM, three battleships of the Allied fleet, the “Bouvet,” “Irresistible,” and “Ocean” battleships, sank, and two battleships and a battlecruiser were damaged.

The first part of the Çanakkale resistance ended with the defeat of the British and French navies and the victory of the Turks. Çanakkale could not be passed.
This decisive victory, lasting seven hours, went down in history as the “Çanakkale Naval Victory.”