Editing Battle of Navarino (section)

===Engagement===
[[File:Navarino.jpg|thumb|Ottoman fleet ablaze in Navarino bay, 20 Oct 1827]]
At 1.30 p.m., on 20 October 1827, off the entrance to Navarino Bay, Codrington signalled to the Allied fleet: "PREPARE FOR ACTION" and Allied crews were ordered to stand to their guns.<ref name="Woodhouse 1965 112">Woodhouse (1965) 112</ref> Gun-ports were left half-open, but Allied captains were under strict orders to open fire only if attacked. At 2.00 p.m., Allied warships, with Codrington in the lead in ''Asia'', began filing into the bay through the southern entrance, proceeding in two lines, British followed by French to starboard (SE, closest to Navarino) and Russians to port abreast but slightly behind the French. There was no attempt to prevent their entry by the Ottoman shore batteries or their corvettes posted at the entrance, but Codrington received a launch carrying a message from Ibrahim Pasha. This stated that he had not given permission for the Allies to enter the bay, and demanded that they withdraw. Codrington dismissed Ibrahim's objection, replying that he had come to give orders, not to take them. He warned that if the Ottomans opened fire, their fleet would be destroyed.<ref name="Woodhouse 1965 112"/><ref>James (1837) VI. 480</ref>
[[File:Navarino.JPG|thumb|Action at close quarters during the battle. This detail shows Codrington's flagship, HMS ''Asia'' (centre, flying [[Blue Ensign]]), simultaneously demolishing two Ottoman flagships]]
[[File:Russians at navarino.jpg|thumb|''Battle of Navarino'', by [[Ivan Aivazovsky]], showing the Russian squadron, in line ahead (left-centre, white flags with blue transversal crosses) bombarding the Ottoman fleet (right, with red flags)]]As his flagship dropped anchor in the middle of the Ottoman line, Codrington ordered a brass band to play on deck to emphasize his peaceful intentions. By 2.15 p.m., the three British ships of the line had dropped anchor in their allotted positions.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 114</ref> Meanwhile, as the Allied vessels moved into position, along the Ottoman lines trumpets sounded action stations. Ottoman crews scrambled to meet the unexpected intrusion into their base.

At this point, at the entrance, fighting broke out. Codrington claimed that hostilities were started by the Ottomans. The outbreak, according to Allied sources, occurred in the following manner:

At the entrance to the bay, Capt [[Thomas Fellowes (1778-1853)|Thomas Fellowes]] on the frigate ''Dartmouth'' had been detailed, with six smaller vessels (2 brigs and 4 schooners) to keep watch on the group of Ottoman corvettes and fireships on the left flank of the Ottoman line. As the Allied ships continued moving into the bay, Fellowes noticed that an Ottoman crew was preparing a fireship and sent a boat to instruct them to desist. The Ottomans fired on the boat and lighted the fireship. Fellowes sent a [[cutter (ship)|cutter]] to tow the fireship to a safe distance, but the Ottomans fired on the cutter, inflicting casualties. Fellowes opened musket fire on the fireship crew to cover his men. At this point the French [[flagship]] ''Sirène'', which was just then entering the bay on the tail of the British-French line, opened fire with muskets to support ''Dartmouth''. An Ottoman corvette then attacked ''Sirène'' with its guns. This chain reaction spread along the line, so that within a short time, there was general engagement.<ref>''Codrington's report'' reproduced in James (1837) VI. 486–488; Dakin (1973)</ref>

The battle thus began before the Allies could complete their deployment. In fact, this proved to be a tactical advantage, as it meant some Allied ships were not yet at anchor and could therefore manoeuvre more swiftly. Nevertheless, most ships fought at anchor. There was naturally very little scope for manoeuvre, except to change the orientation of the ship by hauling on the springs on the anchor chains.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 127</ref> With ships blasting each other at very close range, the encounter was mostly a matter of attrition, in which superior Allied firepower and gunnery were critical.

Combat action may be summarised as follows:
[[File:Battle of Navarino. Vladimir Kosov.jpg|alt=Battle of Navarino. Vladimir Kosov|thumb|285x285px|Battle of Navarino. Vladimir Kosov]]
# The French ship [[French ship Scipion (1813)|''Scipion'']] (80 guns), behind Rigny's [[French frigate Sirène (1823)|''Sirène'']] (60), immediately came under intense attack, by a combination of Egyptian frigates on both sides, the shore batteries and a fireship. The latter was nearly fatal. The fireship jammed under ''Scipion''{{'}}s bowsprit, the fore sails caught fire and the fire spread onto the upper gun-deck. Men flung themselves on the fire to prevent it spreading to the forward powder magazine, with inevitable horrendous burn injuries. Nevertheless, the gunners continued to fire on the attackers. ''Scipion'' was saved from destruction by her sister ship [[French ship Trident (1811)|''Trident'']] (74), which succeeded in attaching a tow-line to the fireship and, with the assistance of ''Dartmouth'' and two other British boats<!-- Were these boats as in small vessels propelled by oars, or were these larger vessels such as frigates, corvettes or schooners? -->, pulling it clear.<ref name="Woodhouse 1965 117-8"/>
# Rigny's ''Sirène'' fought a lengthy duel with the 64-gun frigate ''Ihsania'', which finally blew up. ''Sirène'' suffered significant casualties and damage. ''Sirène'', with the support of ''Trident'' and ''Scipion'', then bombarded the fort of Navarino and eventually silenced its shore battery.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 119</ref>
# The captain of French [[French ship Breslaw (1808)|''Breslaw'']] (84), Captain [[Valdémar Guillaume Nème Botherel de La Bretonnière|Botherel de La Bretonnière]], seeing that Rigny did not need further support, decided on his own initiative to break away from the French formation and move into the centre of the bay, at the junction of the British and Russian lines, to reinforce British ''Albion'' (74) and Russian ''Azov'' (80). Both were hard pressed. ''Albion'', which had wrecked an Ottoman frigate as she anchored, was under fire from all three Ottoman ships of the line simultaneously. Fortunately for her, the enemy gunnery was inept. Even so, ''Breslaw''{{'}}s intervention was later acknowledged by the captain of ''Albion'' as having saved his ship from annihilation. ''Breslaw'' then proceeded to play a leading role in the destruction of Ottoman admiral Tahir Pasha's flagship, the ''Ghiuh Rewan'' (84), and at least four frigates.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 120</ref>
# Codrington's ''Asia'' (84) was anchored between Ottoman admiral Capitan Bey's flagship, ''Fahti Bahri'' (74), and Egyptian Moharram Bey's frigate ''Guerrière'' (60). Capitan Bey opened fire, but Moharram Bey sent word to Codrington that he was not going to attack. This enabled ''Asia'' to concentrate its fire on ''Fahti Bahri'', which was in a poor condition and inadequately manned. ''Asia''{{'}}s deadly fire shortly disabled her. Codrington then sent an interpreter, a Greek, P. Mikelis, to parley with Moharram Bey; but Mikelis was shot dead as he went aboard. ''Guerrière'' then opened fire, but was reduced to a burning wreck within 20 minutes by crushing broadsides from ''Asia'' and ''Azov''.<ref>''Codrington's report'' reproduced in James (1837) VI. 486–488</ref> However, ''Asia'' suffered severe casualties and damage due to a concentration of heavy fire from smaller Ottoman boats in the second and third lines of the Ottoman formation: as Letellier had planned, these boats fired through the gaps in the front line. Codrington also believed that ''Asia'' had taken serious hits by mistake from sister ''Genoa''.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 134</ref>[[File:Battle of Navarin (4552424940).jpg|thumb|Battle of Navarin, National Historical Museum, Athens, Greece]]
# The Russians under Van Heiden were the last to take up station, as was planned. Their position, on the right end of the Ottoman crescent, was the most exposed. The fighting in this sector was even more intense than elsewhere. ''Azov'' sank or disabled three large frigates and a corvette, but herself took 153 hits, several below the waterline.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 137</ref>
# The British frigates ''Armide'' and ''Talbot'' initially had to face the frigates on the Ottoman right wing and the island shore battery unsupported, as the other two frigates were away and arrived later. They were saved from annihilation by the arrival of the Russian frigates.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 139</ref>
# The smaller British and French vessels (brigs and the schooners ''Alcyone'' and ''Daphné''), under the overall direction of frigate ''Dartmouth'', had been allotted the vital task of preventing fireship attacks. Their success was complete: apart from the initial fireship attack on ''Scipion'', not a single fireship struck a target during the battle. A number of the smaller vessels greatly distinguished themselves, suffering casualties as great, in proportion, as the ships of the line.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 139–140</ref>
By about 4 p.m., all three Ottoman ships of the line and most of the large frigates of the first line had been despatched. This left the mass of smaller vessels in the second and third lines at the mercy of the Allied ships of the line, all of which were still operational. During the ensuing massacre, Codrington tried twice to order a ceasefire, but his signals were either invisible because of the thick smoke or ignored in the heat of the battle.<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 124</ref> Within the following two hours, virtually the entire Ottoman fleet was destroyed, despite the signal bravery of the Ottoman crews, which was praised by Codrington himself in his despatches. Three quarters were sunk: many of them, dismasted but still afloat and reparable, were blown up or set on fire by their own crews to prevent them falling into Allied hands.<ref>''Codrington's report'' rep. in James  (1837) VI. 486–488.</ref>

[[File:Le soir de la bataille de Navarin en 1827 (Grèce).jpg|thumb|Burning and beached hulks of Ottoman warships under the cliffs of Navarino. Painting by [[Auguste Mayer]]]]
This contributed to the horrendous Ottoman and Egyptian casualty figures, as many men were trapped in burning or exploding vessels. Some, as mentioned, were shackled to their posts. Ottoman casualties given to Codrington by Letellier were approx. 3,000 killed, 1,109 wounded, although Codrington claimed the reverse was more likely. Of the entire Ottoman-Egyptian armada of 78 vessels, just eight remained seaworthy: one dismasted ship of the line, two frigates, and five corvettes.

Allied casualties were given by Codrington as 181 killed, 480 wounded (including Codrington's youngest son, midshipman H. Codrington, serving on ''Asia'' under his father, who was badly injured but made a full recovery).<ref>Woodhouse (1965) 33</ref> Several Allied ships were severely damaged: the Russian ships ''Azov'', ''Gangut'' and ''Iezekiil'' were disabled. The three British ships of the line had to be sent back to the United Kingdom for repairs.<ref>Codrington's report rep. James (1837) VI. 486–488</ref> According to one source, despite the rough handling all the ships of the line had endured and the danger from exploding Ottoman vessels, not a single Allied vessel was sunk.{{citation needed|date=July 2015}}

As the guns fell silent at dusk in Navarino Bay, news of the outcome raced over the Peloponnese and to the rest of Greece. In village after village, church bells started a continuous peal in the night. People rushed into village squares, to be greeted by the news that the Ottoman Sultan and his hated vassal Ibrahim Pasha no longer possessed a Mediterranean fleet. In a maritime country like Greece, the implication was evident—the fledgling Greek state was saved. Wild rejoicing broke out, and lasted through the night and for days after. Huge bonfires were lit on the mountaintops of the Peloponnese and [[Mount Parnassus|Mount Parnassos]] in central Greece.<ref>Dakin (1973) 230</ref> Celebrations swept even the occupied regions, which the demoralised Ottoman garrisons made little effort to prevent.