257 Years Ago Today: The Admiral Who Burned the Ottoman Fleet
Andreas Miaoulis was born on May 20, 1769, and went on to become the most feared naval commander of the Greek War of Independence, the admiral who turned fire ships into weapons that kept the Ottoman Empire at bay for years.
Before the revolution, Miaoulis was a merchant captain from Hydra, one of the most experienced sailors in the Aegean. When the 1821 uprising began, he put his seamanship to use for the Greek cause and was appointed commander of the Greek fleet, a loose but formidable collection of ships from Hydra, Spetses, and Psara.
Greek sailors used these floating bombs to devastating effect, destroying far larger Ottoman and Egyptian ships.
His signature tactic was the fire ship, a vessel packed with explosives and set on a collision course with enemy warships. Under his command, Greek sailors used these floating bombs to devastating effect, destroying far larger Ottoman and Egyptian ships and preventing them from landing reinforcements along the Greek coastline. His victories gave the revolutionary forces crucial breathing room in the early years of the fight.
Miaoulis later served in Greek politics after independence, but it is his record at sea that defines his legacy. The Greek Navy named one of its destroyer classes after him, and his statue stands today in the harbor of Hydra, the island most associated with his name.
He died on June 11, 1835, in Piraeus, at the age of 66, having seen Greece secure its independence from Ottoman rule. Today, 257 years after his birth, he remains one of the most celebrated figures of the 1821 revolution.
