TURKS AND THE SEA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 11, 23 December 1911, Page 3

TURKS AND THE SEA.

FA i\ LO U S OTTOMAN AI )M J HALS

OF THE PAST

WHEN TURKEY RULED THE

WAVES.

It is difficult in these days of Turkish naval degeneration to imagine that there was a time when 'furbish seamen and Turkish fleets dominated the Mediterranean to the terror of the Christian nations that bordered it and traded upon it (writes Rereival A. Hislam in tiie London “Express”). There arc many famous seamen in the annals of the Ottoman Empire, and many naval actions of great magnitude ; in fact, the most stupendous maritime conflict of historic times was the Hattie of Lepanto, fought in 1571, in which the Christian League of the nations at the western end of the Mediterranean finally overthrew the 'Turk and practically jput an end to the period of his naval domination. The first of the’ great Turkish sea kings was Uruji Barbarossa, who was born on the Island of Lesbos towards the close of the fifteenth century. For some time he cruised in the Archipelago, following the not unusual occupation of a buccaneer, but he soon grew ambitious, and, sailing with an •increased force along the African coast, he fixed up an agreement with the King of Tunis, under which he had free use of that port on condition that he handed over a fifth of his booty. The first exploit of Uruji at this end of the Mediterranean was the capture of two richly-laden galleys belonging to the Pope Julius 11., whose crews were so astounded at the sight of Turkish turbans in such western waters—the affair took place off the Island of Elba—that they made hardly any resistance. The Turk put his prisoners to work at the oars and set out for more plunder. His next considerable capture was that of a Spanish galleon carrying five hundred soldiers; but the unfortunate people were so horribly seasick that they, too, could put up no opposition to the Turk. In the course of a year or two Uruji was at the head of a squiidroh of eight ships, and naturally began to turn Ids thoughts to better things than the paying of tribute to the King of Tunis. Against the Genoese. He therefore set out to assist the dethroned King of Bujeya to regain Ids country from the Spaniards, but, thanks to a wound he himself received, and to the arrival of the great Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, he failed, and his power was for the time broken. Uruji had a worthy successor in bis younger brother, whose name is variously rendered Chiaraddin, Khoyreddiri, or Hairreddin Barbarossa. By a series of cunning diplomatic moves, 01 which this period is so full, Chiaraddin obtained much assistance fTom the Sultan, and gradually regained all that had been lost‘in the‘battle where his brother lost his life. Having established himself 'ashore lie equipped a fleet of eighteen galleons, and with these he scoured the Mediterranean every year from. May to August in search of Christian booty, and so greatly did he increase ins power tfiau in a few years he laid successful siege to the Spanish port of Algiers, which fell after continuous day and night bombardment of a fortnight. A couple of, weeks after the place had fallen nine transports full of Spanish reinforcements arrived; and after the Turks had watched them for some time sailing up and down outside trying to locate the now unrecognisable fortress, they poured out and took the whole flotilla, with nearly three thousand prisoners. From Venice. Concurrently with these successes in the west the Turkish fleet at home had been busying itself. Lepanto was taken from Venice, Egypt was conquered, and, last rock of all in the Christian rule of the Mediterranean, the Island*iof Rhodes, garrisoned by the Knights of St. John, was taken in 1522 alter a long siege, in which were engaged 400 ships, and over 100,000 soldiers. Chiaraddin was then recalled by the Sultan to undertake the reconstruction of the Turkish fleet. In 1538 a great fight was fought off Prevo/.a between him and Andrea Doria, but nothing decisive occurred, the Genoese sailing away and leaving the Turks in command of the waters. The great admiral died in 1546, when he was about 90 years of age, after adding greatly to his reputation by daring and successful exploits in France. The year 1571 was a vital one in tlie history of Turkish sea power. It began with a great Turkish success—the taking of Cyprus; it ended with Lepanto and the practical annihilation of the Moslem fleet. Before its capture Cyprus was a Venetian possession, and when the attack was beguu Pope Pins V. set out to organise a Christian League against the Turks. On previous occasions the Christian Powers had been sorely hampered by divided command, but on this occasion, however, the Pope succeeded in placing in chief command of the Papal, Spanish, and Venetian forces Don John of Austria, who, though only 25 years of. age, already had earned a great reputation for leadership. On September 16th, 1571, the great fleet weighed anchor from Messina, a force of 243,000 fighting men and 43,000 rowers and armed with 1815 cannon. The Turkish fleet consisted of 274 ships; but 66 of these were piratical craft constructed for the undoing of merchantmen, and not to stand up against • legitimate lighting ships. Great Fight. The opposing flagships set at each other—the Reale of Don John and the Fanal of Ali Pasha. Each was boarded, each drove the hoarders hack; and the fight waved fairly evenly until Ali’s ship was rammed by a third vessel with such force that the crew were all thrown off their feet, in the confusion Don John found no difficulty in subduing the Turkish flagship; Ali was killed, and when the Turks saw the Christian flag Hying at the Fanal’s masthead they began to lose heart. Everywhere they gave way, everywhere the Christians relentlessly pursued and killed. Lepanto was the death-knell of Turkish sea-power. In one form or another—-principally in the shape of pirate colonics on the North African coast—it survived until the beginning of last century, when European Powers—ourselves included—wore willing' to pay tribute to secure immunity for their merchant shipping. Curiously enough, it was the United States that finally cleared out the nest.