Battle of Andros (1790)

Battle of Andros
Part of the Russo–Turkish War of 1787–1792
Painting of Katsonis
Date 17–18 May 1790 Location Strait between Andros and Cape Kafireas Result Decisive Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Russian Empire	Ottoman Empire Ottoman Algiers
Commanders and leaders
Lt. Colonel Lambros Katsonis	Seyit Ali (Algiers)
Strength
7 or 9 vessels	19 Ottoman ships 11–13 Algerian vessels
Casualties and losses
five ships lost; 565 dead and 53 wounded; several dozen captured and executed	over 3,000 killed; unknown number of ships damaged and sunk as a result

The Battle of Andros was fought on 17–18 May 1790, during the Russo–Turkish War of 1787–1792, between Cape Kafireas and the island of Andros, between the ships of the Greek privateer in Russian service Lambros Katsonis and an Ottoman–Algerian fleet of 30–32 vessels. The battle was a major victory for the Ottomans, as Katsonis lost five ships and his flotilla ceased to exist as an operational unit. On the other hand, the Ottomans suffered heavy casualties as well, and Katsonis was able to escape and reconstitute his forces, remaining active until the end of the war.

Katsonis had participated in the Orlov Revolt of 1770, and then entered the service of the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great, reaching the rank of Major. Following the outbreak of the Russo–Turkish War of 1787–1792, in spring 1789 he went to Trieste and recruited Greek crews and ships, forming a fleet to operate Ottoman shipping in the Ionian and Aegean Seas. On his arrival in the Aegean in summer 1789, Katsonis seized, garrisoned, and fortified the island of Kea as a base. From there Katsonis led numerous raids against Ottoman shipping in the northern Aegean, from the Chalcidice to the Dardanelles, and even engaged in a short but eventful blockade of the Dardanelles Straits. Katsonis was an aggressive commander, and did not hesitate to confront the Ottoman navy whenever possible; in June he defeated a Turkish fleet of 14 vessels between Syros and Mykonos, and in the next month he scored another victory in a battle between Syros and Delos. For his exploits, Catherine promoted him to Lt. Colonel on 24 July 1789.

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