. Naval power in the war (1914-1917). the above forces, in conjunc-tion with the battalions of Royal Marines alreadydespatched, to be available in case of necessity tosupport the naval attack on the Dardanelles. 4. Horse boats to be taken out with the29th division, and the Admiralty to make arrange-ments to collect small craft, tugs, and lighters inthe Levant. 5. The Admiralty to build special transportsand lighters suitable for the conveyance and land-ing of a force of 50,000 men at any point wherethey may be required. It had been intended that the 29th divisionshould be ready to sail for the
. Naval power in the war (1914-1917). the above forces, in conjunc-tion with the battalions of Royal Marines alreadydespatched, to be available in case of necessity tosupport the naval attack on the Dardanelles. 4. Horse boats to be taken out with the29th division, and the Admiralty to make arrange-ments to collect small craft, tugs, and lighters inthe Levant. 5. The Admiralty to build special transportsand lighters suitable for the conveyance and land-ing of a force of 50,000 men at any point wherethey may be required. It had been intended that the 29th divisionshould be ready to sail for the Mediterranean bythe 22nd of February, but on the 20th the WarOffice decided that the general situation was suchthat this division could not be despatched asplanned. On March 10th the situation on otherfronts had changed and the War Office announcedthat the decision to send the 29th division wasagain operative. This change of mind entaileda delay of three weeks in despatching these troops. In the meantime during January and February. 65 66 NAVAL POWER IN THE WAR British and French forces in the Mediterraneanwere preparing for extensive operations againstthe Dardanelles. The island of Tenedos wasseized. Under an agreement with Venizelos, theGreek Premier, the island of Lemnos was occu-pied, and Mudros with its large harbour convertedinto an advanced naval and military base. Lem-nos was less than fifty miles from Gallipoli, whileTenedos was only twenty-two miles distant fromthe Turkish coast. It has been said that therewas also an arrangement with Venizelos to supplya Greek military expeditionary force, but, as theevent proved, this aid could not be relied on. By the middle of February a large British fleethad been assembled, including the new superdread-nought Queen Elizabeth, carrying 15-inch guns,the battle cruiser Inflexible, the predreadnoughtbattleships Agamemnon, Irresistible, Vengeance,Triumph, Albion, Lord Nelson, Ocean, Majestic,and a number of light cruisers, destroyer
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