Battle of Navarino

Overview

The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), in Navarino Bay, on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied forces from Britain, France, and Russia decisively defeated Ottoman and Egyptian forces which were trying to suppress the Greeks, thereby making Greek independence much more likely. An Ottoman armada which, in addition to Imperial warships, included squadrons from the eyalets of Egypt and Regency of Algiers and Tunis, was destroyed by an Allied force of British, French and Russian warships. It was the last major naval battle in history to be fought entirely with sailing ships, although most ships fought at anchor. The Allies' victory was achieved through superior firepower and gunnery.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Navarino was the decisive naval engagement of the Greek War of Independence. Allied forces from Britain, France, and Russia destroyed an Ottoman armada that included squadrons from Egypt, Algiers, and Tunis, inflicting approximately 4,000 casualties against a force of 2,158 and eliminating the primary naval instrument available to suppress the Greek uprising. By removing Ottoman and Egyptian sea power from the equation, the battle made Greek independence considerably more likely and shifted the strategic balance of the war in the Greeks' favor. The engagement also marked the end of an era in naval warfare, being the last major battle fought entirely with sailing ships.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)