The Battle of Lepanto

One of the greatest and destructive battles between galleys took place in the Gulf of Patras on the 7 th October 1571.

After months of pressure by the Pope, the contracts of the Holy League were finally signed on 25 May 1571. These contracts stipulated that Venice , the Pope, Spain with Naples and Sicily , Genoa , the Knights of St. John and a number of smaller italian princes ally against the threat to western Europe from Islam and the Turks.

Commander-in-chief was the 22 year old Don Juan of Austria, an illegitimate son of King Karl V and a half-brother of King Philip II of Spain .

On 3 October, the fleet of Don Juan, with 225 galleys and 6 big galleons, left the island of Corfu in the direction of the Gulf of Patras , where the turkish fleet of 245 galleys under the command of Ali Pasha was waiting for them.

The original engraving of the battle order shows the following formation (sketch was given later): The turkish fleet on the right. The formation has a half-moon shape and the command galleys of the commander Ali Pasha and the captain Portau Pasha are located exactly in the middle. The right wing of the turks was under the command of Mehmed Chaouluk Pasha, better known as Mehmed Sirocco by the Christians; his galley was located on the topmost tip of the right wing. The left wing was commanded by the christian renegade Ali el-Uluji-Ochiali, a dreaded pirate and an excellent admiral. If Ali Pasha followed his suggestions, the battle would have had a different outcome. The galley of Ochiali was located on the bottom tip of the left wing. Ten galleys were kept as reserve behind this front. The fleet of the "Holy League" is located to the left. In the middle opposite Ali Pasha, the Reale, the galley of Don Juan of Austria was located, together with the galleys of the commander of the League. The left wing of the christian fleet comprised of the venetian fleet under the command of Agostino Barbarigo and Marco Quirini. The "Capitana di Venetia", Marco Quirini's galley, is located at the bottom tip (underligned). The right wing comprised of the genoan fleet and commanded by Gian Andrea Doria. His galley located at the bottom.

Behind the battle formation, there was a reserve under the command of the spaniard Marchese de Santa-Cruz.

At about 10:30AM, the "Capitana di Venetia" under Marco Quirini, and then the whole christian left wing, advanced against the right wing of the turks under Sirocco Pasha. After the early death of Agostino Barbarigo, the 63 galleys and 2 galleons, commanded by Marco Quirini, pushed the 56 galleys of Sirocco Pasha against the coast, surrounding and destroying them completely.

A hour later, both main fleets, commanded by Don Juan of Austria and Ali Pasha, met in the center. 63 galleys and 2 galleons under Don Juan, 96 galleys under Ali Pasha.

After heavy fighting, the turks were repelled back and Ali Pasha fell. An hour later, the turkish left wing under Ochiali with 93 galleys tried to outmanouver and break through the right wing of the league under Gian Andrea Doria. A part of Ochiali's fleet was intercepted and repelled by the reserve under Marchese Alvaro de Santa-Cruz and the 8 galleys under Juan Cardona. But Ochiali himself managed to escape with 56 galleys.

Apart from the 56 galleys of Ochiali, the turkish fleet was utterly destroyed. The losses were enormous: Out of 172,000 men that took part in the battle - 84,000 christians and 88,000 turks - 15,000 officers and men from the League were killed, injured or drowned, 12 galleys where sunk and one was captured.

On the tukish side, 30,000 man fell, including Ali Pasha and Sirocco Pasha, 8000 were taken prisoners, including all other commanders, an unknown number drowned; 113 galleys sunk, 76 captured, and 15,000 christian galley slaves were freed.