Attack on Acre (1179)
Part of theCrusades
Port of Acre
Date 14 October 1179 Location Acre Result Ayyubid victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Jerusalem	Ayyubid Dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Saladin
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Many ships sunk or captured	3 killed

Theattack on Acre in 1179 was a naval raid launched by the Ayyubid fleet of Saladin against the Crusader fortress ofAcre. The Ayyubids attacked the fort and inflicted heavy damage on the port before retreating.

By the spring of 1179, the Ayyubid sultan,Saladin, had constructed the Ayyubid navy. He had 80 ships; 60 weregalleys and 20 were transport ships. Saladin divided his navy into two parts: 50 were to protect Egyptian coasts, while 30 of them would attack the Crusaders.^[1][2][3] The Ayyubid Navy began its operations in the same year. They attacked Levantine coasts, disrupting military and commercial activities there. In June, they captured cargo, two ships captured much loot, and 400 prisoners.^[3]

Encouraged by this victory, the Ayyubids launched another raid, this time towards the Crusader fortress of Acre, which Muslims considered the "Constantinople of Franks." On October 14, the Ayyubid navy sailed towards Acre at night. Acre Port had many ships and merchandise. The Ayyubid navy managed to capture and destroy several ships. The Ayyubid navy remained at the port, destroying it for 2 days, and retreated only after causing great damage to the port. The Ayyubids reportedly lost 3 men in this attack. The attack posed a challenge to Crusader's naval power.^[1][2][4][5] The Muslim historian,Abu Shama, said regarding the attack: "Our fleet, once destroyed, became in turn the destroyer of the enemy...Never was a similar victory achieved by a Muslim fleet".^[1]

• Hillenbrand, Carole (1999).The Crusades, Islamic Perspectives. Psychology Press.ISBN 9781579582104.
• Al-Arini, Al-Sayyid al-Baz (2022).The Ayyubids, research into the renaissance of Muslims (in Arabic). Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah.ISBN 9789777953894.
• Richard, Jean (1999).The Crusades, 1071-1291. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 9780521625661.
• Pryor, John; Jeffreys, Elizabeth M. (2006).The Age of the ΔΡΟΜΩΝ, The Byzantine Navy Ca 500–1204. BRILL.ISBN 9789047409939.

• Battles involving the Ayyubids
• Battles involving the Kingdom of Jerusalem
• Conflicts in 1179
• 1179 in Asia
• Battles of Saladin
• 1170s in the Kingdom of Jerusalem
• 1170s in the Ayyubid Sultanate
• Military history of Acre, Israel

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• CS1 Arabic-language sources (ar)