I + 18 : Navarino Bay - Where Greece became Independent

Sunrise over the location of the Navarino Battle today

What a rocky start this morning. Swell from the west hit us hard after leaving Koroni. Doors were banging, glasses rattled, a few loose items in the kitchen went to the floor. Our late sleepers got up at 5.30 am - it was too difficult to stay in bed :-) Luckily, our destination for today, the Navarino Bay, was close. After 30 minutes, the rollercoaster was over.

Navarino Bay seen from the West - the Fleet Action happened close to the Eastern Shore

By 6 o'clock, the MYRA was gliding into the Bay - the scenery was serene. Above the hills, Venus was shining brightly. The color of the night sky changed from blue to golden-red. In a bit less than an hour, the sun would rise over the horizon. There was no sound. The shore was still dark and quiet. Nobody was up yet. In this big bay, we were alone. Sipping coffee and enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

A Russian Ship-of-the-Line engaging with the Turkish Fleet on 20 October 1827

It is almost inconceivable that this peaceful bay was the place of a ferocious sea battle which changed the course of history. 198 years ago, an English-French-Russian fleet fought with Turkish & Egyptian ships over Greek liberty. The Greek questons vexed European politics for years. Ordinary European citizens, English, French and Russians, supported the Greek cause for liberty. Their governments though despised revolutionary movements. The woes and carnage of the French Revolution were too fresh in memory.

Location of the Two Fleets on 20 October 1827

Time had changed though. People's literacy had increased significantly. The industrial revolution provided the tools for mass producing news paper. For the first time ever, there was a public opinion - ordinary citizen were informed, had a view and made it heard. The suffering of the Greek people and their quest for freedom influenced elections. The time of cabinet politics had run its course. People had a vote. Government had to adjust.

Portrait of Ibrahim Pasha, Egyptian Commander in Chief

It was the brutality of the Egyptian Army in the Peloponnese which stirred up European sentiments. These atrocities, the summary execution of prisoners of war, the mass raping of women and the selling of captives on the slave market of Cairo was to much to stomach. There ware no humanitarian laws in Europe yet - they would only come in 1864 with the Geneva Convention. But in armed conflicts, women and children were in general protected and prisoners of war left unharmed. Europe's public opinion demanded that the Great Powers stop the butchery.

The First Greek State, a Kingdom, in light green

A solution was devised to make Greece an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire. To protect innocent civilians, England, France and Russia despatched naval squadrons to Greece with the instruction not to interfer. But when the two fleets met at Navariono Bay, nobody kept his cool. Fighting started. After a day, the combined Egyptian-Turkish fleet was at the bottom of the Bay. The victory of the Allied Navies was decisive. The Egyptian Army was cut off from its supplies. Fighting dropped dramatically. It would take another 3 years though, another Russian-Turkish war (1828-29) and the intervention of a French army corps with 15'000 men (1828) to stop the fighting and get Greece its independence.

French General Maison sending Ibrahim Pasha and his Army off to Egypt (Navarino Bay)

The thunder of the cannons in Navariono Bay is long gone, the waters are peaceful and quiet again. Public opinion though is still with us. The voice of people matters - at least in the Western World. Public opinion saved the Greeks. It is stronger than violence. Freedom of speech is the basis of a sound public opinion. So let's nurture and protect it. It is the foundation of our prosperous way of life.

The French Monument at the Bay Entrance - one of the few Reminders of the Battle