Action of 10 July 1651
This battle was fought on 10 July 1651, with some minor fighting on 8 July, south of Naxos in the Cyclades, between the Venetian and Ottoman fleets. It was a Venetian victory, but failed to achieve anything decisive.
Background
[edit]The Venetian fleet, under Alvise Mocenigo, sailed from Cerigo to Euboea at the end of June 1651.[1] It consisted of twenty eight sailing ships (under the Capitano delle Navi Luca Francesco Barbarigo, with Dolfin and Girolamo Battaglia as his deputies), six galleasses (under the Captain of the Gulf Francesco Morosini) and twenty four galleys (Mocenigo, with the Provveditore all'Armata Molin as second in command).[2] There on 2 July he learned that the Ottoman fleet under the Kapudan Pasha, Hosambegzade Ali Pasha, numbering 55 sailing ships, 53 galleys, and 6 galeasses, had left Chios for Patmos on 29 June. Mocenigo therefore sailed south to Santorini, hoping to intercept it before it reached Crete.[1] The Venetian fleet arrived at Santorini on 5 July, and on 7 July the Ottoman fleet appeared from the east, sailing to the south of the island, but it turned north when it spotted some Venetian stragglers.[2] Mocenigo tried to support them, but darkness prevented any action from happening that day.[3]
Battle
[edit]On 8 July, the Venetians were somewhat scattered. Most of the sailing ships especially lagged behind, and Mocenigo tried to maintain contact with them. Only five sailing ships of the vanguard, under Battaglia, sailed close to the Turks, who opened fire on the small Venetian squadron. Battaglia fought unsupported until Barbarigo with six sailing ships arrived to engage the Ottoman galleys. Mocenigo offered battle but the Ottoman fleet retired north, towing some of their sailing ships, toward the channel between Naxos and Paros.[3]
On 9 July, the Venetians were more scattered, with only Battaglia's ship supporting their galleys, and Mocenigo had to rally to join them with the rest of the sailing ships after dawn. The Turks were to the north, steering between Paros and Naxos.[4]
On 10 July, two galleasses, under Tomaso and Lazaro Mocenigo, broke formation and attacked some Turkish galleys which were still watering at Paros. They ended up fighting the Kapudan Pasha himself, with six galleasses and some galleys, and Tomaso was killed. Francesco Morosini arrived with the Venetian galleys, and later the Venetian Right and Center joined and the Turkish galleys fled, leaving their sailing ships unsupported. These fled north or east of Naxos, but they were overhauled by the Venetian rowing vessels, which captured, forced them ashore or burnt them. The Turks lost ten or eleven sailing ships and one galleass captured, and five (sailing ships?) burnt, as well as 965 prisoners. Afterward, Mocenigo sailed to Heraklion, and the Turks to Rhodes.
Ships involved
[edit]Many of the Venetian ships were hired Dutch or English.
Venice (Alvise Mocenigo)
[edit]Leoncorno Bianco
Giovanni Battista
Aquila Negra
Giovanni Battista
Arma di Venezia
Profeta Daniel
San Giobbe
San Zorzi (Giorgio)
Maria Elizabeta
Principe piccolo
Margarita
San Pietro
San Zorzi
Madonna della Vigna
Aquila d'Oro
Dragon
Sacrificio d'Abram
Difesa
Rotta Fortuna
Croce d'Oro
Damian
Tomaso Francesco
Fregata Grimani
San Marco grande
San Marco piccolo
Beneditione
Profeta Samuel
6 galleasses
24 galleys
Ottomans
[edit]55 sailing ships – 10 or 11 captured
6 galleasses – 1 captured
53 galleys
References
[edit]- ^ a b Anderson 1952, p. 142.
- ^ a b Anderson 1952, pp. 142–143.
- ^ a b Anderson 1952, p. 143.
- ^ Anderson 1952, p. 144.
Sources
[edit]- Anderson, R. C. (1952). Naval Wars in the Levant 1559–1853. Princeton: Princeton University Press. OCLC 1015099422.
- Setton, Kenneth Meyer (1991). Venice, Austria, and the Turks in the Seventeenth Century. Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society. pp. 163–164. ISBN 0-87169-192-2.