After the Chios massacre, the Greek revolutionary government managed to gather a significant amount of money (342 000 kuruş) in order to outfit its ships and attack the Ottoman fleet.Шаблон:Sfn At the end of May, the Greek captains from Psara and Hydra decided to burn the Ottoman flagship by using fire ships. Konstantinos Kanaris and Andreas Pipinos took charge of the operation. The first would blow up the Ottoman flagship with his fireboat and the second the vice admiral's flagship. The two fire ships would be accompanied by four Greek vessels that would gather the sailors of the fireboats after the completion of the operation.Шаблон:Sfn
The operation took place on the night of Шаблон:OldStyleDate, when the winds were advantageous, the night was dark and the Ottomans were celebrating the Ramadan Bayram. Andreas Pipinos tried to burn the rear admiral's flagship, but although some damage was caused, it did not sink, as the crew realized the danger quickly and saw off the fire ship. However, Kanaris managed to affix his fireboat firmly to the flagship, the 84-gun ship of the lineMansur al-liwa. The fire spread to the Ottoman ship and eventually reached the gunpowder hold, resulting in an explosion which destroyed the ship. About two thousand sailors were killed or drowned, including the admiral of the Ottoman navy, Nasuhzade Ali Pasha, who was killed by a falling spar.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn
