Battle of Damietta
Fresco of the Battle of Damietta at theGrandmaster's Palace, Valletta
Date 16 August 1732 Location OffDamietta,Mediterranean Sea Result Order of Malta victory
Belligerents
Order of Malta	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Jacques-François de Chambray	Kali Michamet
Strength
2ships of the line 2tartanes	1flagship 40 merchant ships
Casualties and losses
8 dead 12 injured	1 flagship Unknown number of casualties 117 prisoners 14 Christian slaves freed

Thenaval battle of Damietta was fought on 16 August 1732^[1] between the ships of a convoy of theOttoman Empire and a small fleet of theOrder of Malta under the command ofJacques-François de Chambray, off the coast ofDamietta, Egypt. The Order emerged victorious and managed to liberate the Christian slaves held by the Ottomans.

After relocating fromRhodes toMalta, theKnights Hospitaller relied heavily on naval power to disrupt Ottoman shipping in theMediterranean. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, they expanded their fleet fromgalleys to larger warships such asgalleons andships of the line, enabling more ambitious raids against Ottoman commerce and supply routes.

In July 1732, Grand MasterAntónio Manoel de Vilhena instructedJacques-François de Chambray to intercept an Ottoman convoy near Damietta. On 16 August 1732, Chambray's squadron encountered the Ottoman convoy, consisting of about 40 merchant ships escorted by theSultana, a 70-gun ship of the line under the command of Ottoman vice-admiral Kali Michamet.^[2]

Chambray's two 60-gun ships of the line,^[3]Saint Antoine andSaint George, engaged theSultana,^[2] while the Hospitallercorvettes attacked the merchant vessels. Despite fierce resistance, theSultana was heavily damaged and dismasted. Kali Michamet initially refused to surrender, but by dawn his situation was untenable and he capitulated.

Although the Ottoman flagship remained afloat, it was set ablaze by the crew of theSaint George, denying Chambray the chance to claim it as a prize. Several merchantmen were captured, though many were empty of valuable cargo. The Knights nevertheless seized cannons, gunpowder, sails, cables, food supplies, and other useful equipment.^[4]

The Hospitallers took 117 Ottoman prisoners and freed 14 enslaved Christians, who were transported to Malta. The liberated captives underwent quarantine before being reintegrated into Maltese society or into the Order's naval service. Meanwhile, Ottoman captives were sold inValletta's slave markets for between 200 and 500écus each.^[4][5]

The Knights suffered relatively light losses, 8 killed and 12 wounded. In recognition of his success, Jacques-François de Chambray was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Malta.^[4][6]

• Castillo, Dennis (2006).The Maltese Cross: a strategic history of Malta. Library of Congress.ISBN 0-313-32329-1.
• Dreux du Radier, Jean-François (1757).L’Europe illustre, contenant l’histoire abrégée des souverains (in French). Paris.
• Lewis, Charles Lee (1945).Admiral de Grasse and American Independence. United States Naval Institute.
• Moureau, François (2008).Captifs en Méditerranée (XVI–XVIIIe siècles): histoires, récits et légendes (in French). Presses de l’université Paris-Sorbonne.
• Pemsel, Helmut (1995).Seeherrschaft. Eine maritime Weltgeschichte von den Anfängen bis heute [Mastery of the Sea. A Maritime World History from the Beginnings to the Present Day] (in German). Augsburg.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Quintano, Anton (2003).The Maltese-Hospitaller Sailing Ship Squadron 1701-1798. Publishers Enterprises Group.ISBN 9789990903485.
• Wismayer, Joseph M. (1997).The Fleet of the Orders of St. John 1580–1798. Valletta: Midsea Books.ISBN 99909-75-30-2.

• Galimard de Flavigny, Bertrand (2006).Histoire de l'ordre de Malte [History of the Order of Malta] (in French). Paris: Perrin.ISBN 978-2-262-02115-3.
• Plaisse, André (1991).Le Rouge de Malte, ou, Les curieux mémoires du bailli de Chambray [The Red of Malta, or, The Curious Memoirs of the Bailiff of Chambray] (in French). Ouest-France.ISBN 978-2737307157.

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