Since "Goeben" could not reach Constantinople without coaling, Souchon headed for Messina. The Germans encountered the British battlecruisers and , but Germany was not yet at war with Britain and neither side opened fire. The British turned to follow "Goeben" and "Breslau", but the German ships were able to outrun the British, and arrived in Messina by 5 August. Refueling in Messina was complicated by the declaration of Italian neutrality on 2 August. Under international law, combatant ships were permitted only 24 hours in a neutral port. Sympathetic Italian naval authorities in the port allowed "Goeben" and "Breslau" to remain in port for around 36 hours while the ships coaled from a German collier. Despite the additional time, "Goeben"s fuel stocks were not sufficient to permit the voyage to Constantinople, so Souchon arranged to rendezvous with another collier in the Aegean Sea. The French fleet remained in the western Mediterranean, since the French naval commander in the Mediterranean, Admiral Lapeyrère, was convinced the Germans would either attempt to escape to the Atlantic or join the Austrians in Pola.