fɹʌm mˈɪd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪftiːn tə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪtiːn, tsuːʃˈiːmə ænd nˌɪɪtˈɑːkə wɜː pˈɜːmənəntli bˈeɪst æt kˈeɪp tˈaʊn, ɐsˈɪstɪŋ ðə ɹˈɔɪəl nˈeɪvi ɪn pɐtɹˈoʊlɪŋ ðə sˈiː lˈeɪnz ɪnðɪ ˈɪndiən ˈoʊʃən, lˈɪŋkɪŋ jˈʊɹɹəp tə ðɪ ˈiːst ɐɡˈɛnst dʒˈɜːmən kˈɑːmɜːs ɹˈeɪdɚz ænd jˈuːbˈoʊts.
From mid-1915 to 1918, Tsushima and Niitaka were permanently based at Cape Town, assisting the Royal Navy in patrolling the sea lanes in the Indian Ocean, linking Europe to the east against German commerce raiders and U-boats.