Burning of the Ottoman flagship off Chios

Overview

The burning of the Ottoman flagship off Chios took place on the night of 18 June 1822. The event, occurring during the Greek War of Independence, was done in reprisal for the Chios massacre which occurred two months earlier. Two Greek fire ships set fire to Mansur al-liwa, an 84-gun Ottoman ship of the line, which subsequently blew up. Approximately 2,000 Ottoman Navy personnel were killed, among them Kapudan Pasha Nasuhzade Ali Pasha.

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

Significance

The burning of the Ottoman flagship off Chios on the night of 18 June 1822 was carried out as a direct reprisal for the Chios massacre two months earlier. Two Greek fire ships set fire to the 84-gun Ottoman ship of the line Mansur al-liwa, which subsequently exploded, killing approximately 2,000 Ottoman Navy personnel including Kapudan Pasha Nasuhzade Ali Pasha. The loss of the fleet's commander and the destruction of a capital ship dealt a significant blow to Ottoman naval capacity during the Greek War of Independence and demonstrated that Greek irregular naval tactics could penetrate and neutralize conventional Ottoman sea power.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)