In a mismatch of resources with the Turks, the Greeks had one advantage, their skill as sailors.

If the mood of the people throughout Europe and America might be moving in favour of ideas of national liberation encouraged by the French Revolution, their governments were more cautious, and the nascent Greek government had to put all its diplomatic efforts into achieving official international recognition as the revolt dragged on. In the following euphoria a revolutionary government was installed in Nafplion, but its continuing survival was heavily dependent on aid and money from abroad. The Greeks had raised their banner of liberty on 25 March 1821 in a bid to gain independence from the Ottoman Empire, and with their supporters had swiftly taken control of much of the Peloponnese. The European allies, as was to become more common practice in recent times, were acting as mediators in a bloody conflict between Greek revolutionaries or freedom fighters and their Turkish over-lords. If the two fleets were not at war, the question was, why were they so primed for action, for the Ottomans, led by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, too were at the ready. Many of the men had been up most of the night, so if they could they took the opportunity to grab some sleep between the guns as the ships advanced towards an unknown outcome. I hope, when the guns are to man, you’ll all be at your stations. So, I say, let’s in today, and fight it out like British seamen, and if we fall, why there’s an end to our cruise. I know you’ll be right glad of it at least, I suppose you would be as much against cruising off here all winter as I am. Now, my men, you see we are going into the harbour today. The men were at battle stations, and at six bells in the forenoon watch (11.00) they mustered into position encouraged by their officers Lieutenant Broke with the words: Charles McPherson, a sailor aboard the British frigate Genoa recalled that the ‘tubs were filled with shot and everything else prepared’. What was to happen next hung delicately in the balance and to a large extent would be determined by events out of the immediate control of the supreme commanders.Īlthough officially the fleets were not at war, the ships of the western allies were intent on entering the bay at the ready. Bottled up inside the bay, a large Ottoman fleet made up of Egyptian, Turkish and Tunisian vessels lay at anchor. Some 5 miles to the rear were the French and Russians. In the van were the British ships under Admiral Codrington, who, as the senior ranking officer, it had been agreed should assume overall command. Print run of 1500.A European coalition united by the cause of Greek liberty defeats the Turkish navy to create an independent Greek state and further weaken the grip of the Ottoman Empire in EuropeĮarly on a bright Saturday morning in October 1827, a combined fleet of British, French and Russian warships was slowly manoeuvring into line a few miles out from the entrance to Navarino Bay in the western Peloponnese. Single territory for trade global for academic. Print and/or digital / eBook, including for use in on-line academic databases. Image for Magazines and Journals Book use Image for Website or Social Media Magazines and Journals Web display, social media, apps or blogs. Image for Presentation Website or Social Media

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Ottoman empire naval battle group