Navarino, Battle of 1827

Navarino, Battle of (1827) 

a naval battle fought on October 8 (20) in the bay of Navarino (on the southwestern shore of the Peloponnesus) between Turkish-Egyptian naval forces and the joint Russian, British, and French navies during the Greek National Liberation Revolution (Greek War of Independence) of 1821–29.

The allied squadrons were sent to exert pressure on Turkey, which had refused to carry out the demands of the London Convention of 1827 on granting autonomy to Greece. The three squadron commanders, the British vice admiral E. Codrington, the Russian rear admiral L. M. Geiden, and the French rear admiral H. G. de Rigny, decided to enter the bay of Navarino, where the Turkish-Egyptian fleet under the command of Ibrahim Pasha was located. (Ibrahim Pasha’s fleet consisted of three ships of the line, 23 frigates, and about 40 corvettes and brigs, with almost 2,220 artillery guns.) The entrance to the bay was defended by coast batteries (165 guns and six fire ships).

On October 8 (20) a British squadron (three ships of the line, four frigates, one corvette, and three brigs), a French squadron (three ships of the line, two frigates, and two corvettes), and a Russian squadron (four ships of the line and four frigates), totaling 1,676 artillery guns and under the overall command of Codrington, who was senior in rank, entered the bay. After a British truce envoy was killed by the Turks and the ships were fired on by coast batteries, the allies opened fire. In four hours the Turkish-Egyptian fleet was completely destroyed and almost 7,000 Turks died. The Russian flagship Azov, under the command of Captain First Class M. P. Lazarev, especially distinguished itself in the battle. The allies lost more than 800 men in dead and wounded. The defeat of the Turkish fleet aided in Greece’s national liberation struggle and contributed to Russia’s victory in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29.