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Sunday, 2 June 2019

The destruction of the Egyptian squadron at Medon according to Niles’ Weekly register in 1825

In my note titled “Dutch brig of war Koerier just escaped being destroyed when the Greece fire ships attacked the Egyptian fleet at Modon 12 May 1825”, published on this weblog, I wrote about the account of a Dutch naval officer who witnessed the destruction of the Egyptian squadron at Medon. Niles’ Weekly register (1825) contains at least two small articles dealing with this topic.

p. 344, ”The following is another version of the late Greek victories &c. It is stated that Ibrahim Pacha, despairing of being able to hold out any longer at Modon. Had embarked on board of an Egyptian squadron lying there, with the intention of returning to his native country. Canaris, the Grecian admiral commanding part of the blockading squadron, taking advantage of a favorable wind, sailed in the night [of 12 may] in the midst of the Egyptian fleet, and grappled one of their frigates with a fire ship-two or three other fire ships were equally successful. The fire having spread, the conflagration illuminated Cabrera, the Greek island Saplenza, and the precipices of Mount Egialeus. The sight now became truly terrible; on all sides were seen vessels grappling running foul, flying and sinking, mingled with the shrieks of soldiers and sailors in the burning vessels. Several ships, however, succeeded in gaining the open sea, and it is from six damaged transports, just arrived in our port, that we received the first news of the grand disaster experienced by the Mahometans, whose loss is estimated to amount to nearly seventy vessels, wrecked, burnt and sunk. The coast was covered with fires, and it was thought that Ibraham Pacha had perished in this terrible catastrophe”.

and

p. 389, “The following is an official bulletin of the Greek admiral Miaulis: First division of the Greek fleet, May 13, 1825. Yesterday evening, with a favourable wind, we entered pas Sapienza into the gulf of Modon, where 20 of the enemy’s vessels were anchored under the canons of the fortress. On this squadron our intrepid firemen threw themselves, with six fire ships, and with little difficulty they succeeded in setting them on fire, whilst we, with the rest of our vessels, pursued other ships of the enemy which were in full sail. The vessels burned in the port of Modon, consisted of two frigates, three corvettes, five brigs of war and the rest transports. We are informed that one of the frigates was a cut down 54 gun vessel of the pacha of Egypt, and the other was a 36 gun frigate; 2 of the corvettes carried 26 guns each. The Divine Providence aided us still further, and brought about the entire destruction of the enemy. The fire produced by this conflagration communicated itself to the fortress; and the town of Modon, for five hours, appeared in a volume of flames, and then we heard one of the most terrible explosions which ever took place. This leads us to imagine that the powder magazines took fire, and, in that case, every one, and every thing there, must have perished. [The gallant admiral does not state a fact that is given in other papers, which, if true, shows that he is as modest as he is brave. It is said that he personally fired one of the frigates of the barbarians, which blew up, with all her crew, consisting of 400 men].

Source
Niles’ Weekly Register, vol XXVIII, p. 344 and 389. Baltimore, 1825.