The force comparison makes the scale of the defeat stark: nine Russian ships of the line face sixteen Ottoman ships plus numerous smaller vessels. Ottoman sailing skill and drill may have been weaker, but those limits do not explain away the failure to use the larger fleet properly. Dividing the line into two squadrons of eight could have forced the Russians to answer attacks from more than one direction. Instead, Ottoman positioning repeatedly let the smaller force maneuver against it on favorable terms.
Chapter · 37:38-42:58
Chesma and the cost of surrendering maneuver
A heavily superior Ottoman fleet loses sixteen ships of the line at Chesma after repeatedly accepting positions that let a smaller Russian force outmaneuver it.