The Austrian, French, Greek and Turkish navies in the Mediterranean according to the Nederlandsche Staatscourant dated 27 April 1826

Paris, 23 April. The ship les Cinq Frères left 14 April Marseille for Alexandria. On board were some officers with the rank of chefs de battalion or captain and a large amount of labourers for the arsenals, musicians, war stores and 250 ton coal.

Constantinople. 28 March. The Oesterreichischen Beobachter published a topic dealing with the Greek navy. The newspaper claimed that since the navy became more and more an organisation of privateers, the Archipelago was harassed by pirates. Several merchant ships who arrived, reported the danger for ships of all nations. The Austrian and French warships stationed in the Levant did everything possible and were forced to use force. The Austrian corvette Carolina, commanded by lieutenant colonel Buratovich captured 14 March in the waters of Cerigo after a short fight a Spesiotic schooner armed with 14 guns and a crew of 70 men. This schooner captured earlier two Austrian merchant ships which were send to Smyrna. The Austrian war brig Ussora (1) forced a Greek war brig to retreat when the latter was watching an Austrian convoy near Cape Blanc. The French goelette l’Estafette (2) fought in the fairways of Sira with two Greek war brigs who visited a convoy of French and Austrian merchant ships. Of the privateers lost all of her masts and the other fled. There are rumours that there were more fights in March between Austrian warships and Greek pirates in order to protect the convoys.

While the Greek privateers were even active near the Dardanelles, was the fitting out of a new Turkish squadron hastened. She was to consist of 4-2 deckers, 1 razeed ship of the line, 4 frigates and 24 corvettes and brigs. Ibrahim-bey was appointed as commanding officer of the fleet and the embarked troops. The other Turkish squadrons were in the waters of Missolunghi and the Gulf of Lepante.

Sources

Karl Gogg.Osterreichs Kriegsmarine 1440-1448.

J. Vichot. Repertoire des navires de guerre français. Paris, 1967.

Notes

1. The 10-gun brig Mamelucco, built at Venice 1808-1811, launched 17 August 1811, taken over by Austria 25 April 1814, renamed Ussaro, rebuilt as goelette in 1828-1829, renamed Fenice 18 February 1829, between March 1848-August 1849 in Venetian service, renamed Phönix 19 November 1849 and broken up in 1855.

2. Laid down at Toulon 1809, launched 1810, lost at sea 1836.