The General Belgrano

Rico's friend Kelley, a fellow history buff, forwards this:

In 1914, Turkey had a battleship being built in an English shipyard. This was the heyday of the modern dreadnaught, and Turkey was seeking to join the Western, modern nations when their ship was delivered. The ship had been financed by public subscription. As Barbara Tuchman wrote: "every Anatolian farmer had contributed his penny". It was truly a national effort. As World War One crept closer, the British delayed delivery, claiming the need for additional gunnery, engine , and sea trials, and finally declining outright to deliver. Turkish outrage ran from the Sultan's palace down to every corner of the country.
Kaiser Wilhelm saw a chance. With hostilities set for only a few days away, he dispatched the battle cruiser Goeben and her sister ship, the Breslau, on a diplomatic mission to Istanbul. The English alerted their Mediterranean squadron with orders to prevent this if possible, barring gunfire ,since hostilities did not commence for another day or two. The Mediterranean Squadron found the two German ships, even passing within visual distance, then, the Germans gave them the slip during the night. The clock ran out, and it became a breathless chase, but the Goeben and Breslau made it safely to Istanbul, whereupon Kaiser Wilhelm gave the ships to the Sultan, Turkey joined the Central Powers, and history rolled on.
The Goeben survived the war and served in several national navies, finally ending up in Argentina as the General Belgrano until it was sunk by (at long last) the Brits in the Falklands War (photo).