GREECE REMINDED ME OF 1821
Greece named its new kamikaze marine vehicle, which it introduced on October 13, as “Pirpolitis”. The five-meter-long vehicle can reach speeds of over 74 kilometers per hour. However, its most striking feature is that it bears the name of the fire ships used against the Ottoman navy.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE AEGEAN IN 1821?
The Greek Revolt, which started in the Peloponnese, quickly spread to the Aegean islands. While the Ottoman navy tried to maintain its dominance in the region, the rebels began to use small fireboats against large warships. These boats turned into one of the most dangerous naval attack vehicles of the period.
THEY SET FIRE TO THE OTTOMAN SHIP
On 27 May 1821, the Ottoman fleet was heavily attacked off the coast of Eresos, Lesbos. The fire ship under the command of Dimitrios Papanikolis approached the Ottoman warship. When the fire reached the gunpowder store, a huge explosion occurred. This attack was a harbinger of a much greater disaster that would occur the following year.
THE BLOODY NIGHT OF 1822
On the night of June 18, 1822, off the coast of Chios Island, the fireship under the command of Konstantinos Kanaris approached the 84-gun flagship of the Ottoman navy. The ship exploded when the fire reached the gunpowder store. Ottoman navy commander Nasuhzade Ali Pasha was also martyred in the attack, in which approximately 2 thousand people were reported to have died.
