The Battle of Navarino

Back to the log

On shore the streets of Pilos were decorated with triangular pennants of British, French and Russian flags to commemorate the Battle of Navarino. In July of 1827, the Treaty of London provided that Greece should be autonomous, "but under the control of the Turks", as the Greeks had been waging their War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire which had dominated Greece for the past few centuries. The Greeks agreed to the treaty, but the Turks did not. The main Turkish/Egyptian fleet was at anchor in the Bay of Navarinon, 89 ships with 2450 guns, anchored in a three quarter semi circle, effectively controlling the entrance. The combined British/French/Russian fleet under the senior admiral, British Admiral Codrington, with only 26 ships and 1270 guns entered the bay "peacefully", with bands playing and gun ports half open, but prepared for battle, and anchored in the middle of the Turkish/Egyptian fleet. It is claimed that an Egyptian ship opened fire first and the battle ensued. All ships were at anchor, but the European gun crews were more efficient in the heat of "the bloody and destructive battle", destroying the larger enemy fleet. Even though Admiral Codrington was given wide powers of discretion in "policing" the treaty, England expressed regret over the incident, while the French fleet mopped up any remaining opposition in the Peloponessos, paving the way for Greek independence. In the bay there are three memorials, to each of the nations involved. At the entrance to the bay on Nisos Pilos is the French memorial, in the middle of the bay on Nisos Khelonisi is the British, and in town is the Russian memorial commemorating this battle. The Battle of Cape Matapan In March of 1941, Admiral Cunningham in HMS Warspite was attempting to draw the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto, flagship of the Italian fleet, into battle between the NW coast of Crete and Cape Matapan. Not having radar, he lost track of it, but not until after it was damaged by aircraft he had dispatched from the carrier, HMS Formidable. However, in the process of trying to engage it, Warspite destroyed the Italian heavy cruiser Zara, and the British battleship HMS Valiant sunk the Italian heavy cruiser Fiume and two destroyers. The Italian cruiser Pola was crippled by torpedoes from aircraft flying off HMS Formidable, and after Pola's crew were removed by the destroyer HMS Jervis, the Jervis sank Pola with her torpedoes. This victory, sinking three heavy cruisers and two destroyers with a loss of only one aircraft and its two-man crew was a much needed success for the beleaguered Royal Navy, tasked with supplying forces in Greece, and preventing supplies getting over to Rommel in North Africa.   The Battle of Actium In late September while en route down the Ionian Sea from Paxos to Levkas we passed by Preveza, just north of Levkas, where the naval Battle of Actium took place in 31 BC.  Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC and a great power struggle ensued. Octavius had been declared the heir to Julius Caesar, and by 42 BC teamed up with Marc Antony, who later married Octavius' sister, to defeat the forces of Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi in Macedonia. However building up a powerful position from Egypt and the eastern provinces, Antony was in conflict with Octavius off and on from 40 BC until finally routed at Actium in 31, and finally defeated in Egypt in 30 BC. *"Hearing a rumour that Cleopatra was dead, Antony stabbed himself but survived long enough to die in her arms." Cleopatra subsequently killed herself with the bite of an asp, believed by the Egyptians to deify the victim. However, she did not do it out of remorse for Antony, but because when as a prisoner *"she found out she could not retain her kingdom for her children…" *(I have used one of the other few resource books we have on board, "From The Gracchi To Nero, A History Of Rome From 133 BC to 68 AD" by H.H. Scullard, a Praeger Paperback, New York, 1961. If any of you know tidbits to amplify or correct my fractured histories, please let me know.) In this historic Battle of Actium, the forces of Marc Antony, backed up by the fleet of Cleopatra came out to oppose the fleet of Octavius led by Agrippa. Antony's fleet was arranged in three squadrons in line abreast, facing west with Cleopatra's squadron astern inshore. Octavian's fleet waited for the afternoon NW winds to have the windward advantage before attacking. The centre and left flank squadrons of Antony's fleet caved in, and Cleopatra and her squadron fled with the war chest of valuables, followed by Antony, leaving the rest of his fleet to be captured or destroyed. Back to the log