His ships were faster than the British , slowed by the 16 - knot maximum speed of the armed merchant cruiser Otranto .
He opened up the range to 18,000 yards ( 16,000 m ) until conditions changed to suit him .
His ships were faster than the British , slowed by the 16 - knot maximum speed of the armed merchant cruiser Otranto , and he opened up the range to 18,000 yards ( 16,000 m ) until conditions changed to suit him .