The unequal casualty totals followed from the mechanics of taking prizes in a galley battle. Boarders secured a captured vessel by removing the defeated crew, often by forcing men over the side. Many sailors could not swim, and even swimmers faced a chaotic sea crowded with damaged ships and combatants. The Ottoman fleet lost roughly 187 vessels while about a hundred remained available as possible refuges. A tactical count of captured hulls therefore implies a much harsher human loss.
Notable Point · 1:05:34-1:06:41
Prize-taking produced a severe casualty imbalance
Capturing a galley often meant throwing its crew overboard, making the loss of ships especially lethal for Ottoman personnel.