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Battle of Navarino



         


The Battle of Navarino was fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821-29). A combined Turkish and Egyptian armada was destroyed by an allied British, French, and Russian naval force at the port of Navarino in Pylos, Greece. The Turkish fleet had been threatening Greece with its presence, and had been warned by the British and French to stay away. The Allied ships were better-armed than their Egyptian and Turkish enemies, and their crews better trained, resulting in a rather quick victory, however, due to the larger number of Turkish ships present, if the Allies hadn't been properly in position the battle could've gone the other way. The battle mainly resulted from the Turkish rejection of the 1827 Treaty of London, which stipulated that if the treaty was rejected, the allied forces would sail against the Turkish forces. The most important result of this battle was that it crippled the Turks and Egyptians at sea. Their land forces in Greece were unaffected, however, and it took a small French army being sent there in 1828, helped by some British sailors, before Greece was independent. The last holdout was Morea Castle, which fell 1 November 1828.

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The Battle

After the conclusion of the Treaty of London (on 6 July 1827), Codrington, Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, sailed for Greece in order to demand an armistice from both the Greeks and the Turks. The Greeks quickly agreed, but the Turks did not. On 12 September, Codrington found the Turko-Egyptian fleet at anchor at Navarino (now Pylos), southern Greece, and instituted a blockade (his orders were to prevent any attacks against the Greeks). After several attempts of the Turko-Egyptian fleet to leave the bay, from which they were prevented by both Codrington's presence and adverse weather, Codrington's squadron was reinforced on 13 October by a French squadron under de Rigny and a Russian squadron under Geiden. Though unable to leave Navarino Bay, Ibrahim Pasha continued to wage war on land. On October 17, the Allied commanders sent a message to Ibrahim Pasha ordering him to stop this. When the answer to this was unsatisfactory (Ibrahim Pasha's officers pretended not to know where he was), the Allied commanders decided to anchor their ships in Navarino Bay, amid the Turko-Egyptian fleet. The Allied fleet entered in two lines, one formed by the English and French ships, the other by the Russian ships. The Turko-Egyptian fleet was anchored in a horseshoe formation, and the Allied fleet anchored in the empty area in the centre of this horseshoe. While the fleet was still anchoring, the captain of Dartmouth sent a boat to a Turkish ship anchored close by in order to demand that a fireship which was close to one of the British ships and appeared to be being set alight be removed. For reasons not quite clear, the Turks fired on the boat, killing the officer in command and several crewmembers. Dartmouth opened fire, and within a short time, the entire Allied fleet became engaged, as well as the Russian ships which were still entering the harbour. Heavier Allied broadsides and better gunnery quickly told, and in a few hours, three quarters of the Turko-Egyptian fleet was either sunk or set on fire by their own crews. On 17 November it was reported that the Turko-Egyptian ships remaining afloat in Navarino Bay were 1 battleship and 4 frigates damaged, and 1 rasee battleship, 2 frigates, 5 corvettes, 11 brigs and 5 schooners ready for sea. In the battle the Allies lost about 181 men killed and about 480 men wounded; Turkish and Egyptian losses are not known, but assumed to be much greater, perhaps 3000-11000 casualties.

After the battle the Allied fleet remained in Navarino Bay until 26 October. Several Allied ships were badly damaged - Azov had been hit 153 times, 7 of them below the waterline, and wasn't fully repaired until March 1828. Gangut and Iezekiil were damaged too. The British arrived at Malta 3 November, and the Russians on 8 November. Albion, Asia and Genoa were sent to England for repairs, while the French ships went to Toulon.

An Egyptian corvette left Navarino Bay 27 October and arrived in Alexandria 2 November with news of the battle. Other survivors made their way to Alexandria around the end of the year.

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Allied ships

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British ships (Vice Admiral Sir Edward Codrington)

Battleships:
Asia 84 (fleet flagship)
Genoa 76
Albion 74
Frigates:
Glasgow 50
Cambrian 48
Dartmouth 42
Talbot 28
Brigs and schooners:
Rose 18
Mosquito 10
Brisk 10
Philomel 10
Cutter:
Hind 8 (6?)

French ships (Rear Admiral Russian ships (Rear Admiral Count Ibrahim Pasha) There were also perhaps 41 transports The line of battle, in order, was: 3 Egyptian fireships
Ihsania 64*
Souriya 56*
? 64
Guerriere 60* (Egyptian flagship of Moharem Bey)
Ghyu h Rewan 84 (fleet flagship of Tahir Pasha)
Fatih Bahri 74
Leone 60*
? 56
Burj Zafer 74 - survived
?
?
? 52 (flag of Padrona Bey)
Ka'id Zafer? 64** - survived
?
? (flag of Reala Bey)
?
"Conquerant" (Fevz Nussret?) 56(64?)**?
?
?
"Grande Sultane" 54
?
2 or 3 Egyptian fireships Frigates whose position not known:
Bandino Seret
Mejra Zafer The Tunisian ships were to the North of the main Turkish line, near a small island. The other ships were to the East of the main line. Battleships are listed in bold type; * - Egyptian 2-decker frigates; ** - Turkish 2-decker frigates Approximate total: 1 84-gun Turkish battleship, 2 74-gun Turkish battleships, 4 2-decker 64-gun Egyptian frigates, 2 2-decker Turkish frigates, 3 48-gun Turkish frigates, 10 42-gun Turkish frigates, 2 or 3 48-gun Tunisian frigates, 8 Egyptian corvettes, 14-18 Turkish 22-gun corvettes, 5 10-gun Turkish brigs, 7 Egyptian brigs, 1 Tunisian brig, 5 or 6 (?) fireships, perhaps 41 transports. Other ships in the harbour included 3 Tunisian, 3 Tripolitan and 4 Algerian warships and 5 European transports. Some of the confusion stems from the smaller ships being counted as transports on leaving Alexandria and warships on their return. Note: It is hard to get an accurate list of Muslim ships for this battle. There is some uncertainty in the number of guns carried by several ships also. See also: History of Greece




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