Venice faced an expedition far larger than its available fleet, while the Ottoman navy still relied heavily on galleys and hired sailing vessels. Tommaso Morosini's 1646 blockade attempt could drive Ottoman ships back, but it did not prevent them slipping past when conditions favoured the galleys. When the fleet tried to support land operations in Crete, timid commanders and unpaid crews sharply limited what it could do. A force dependent on paid mariners could not sustain a reliable blockade if its sailors doubted that they would be paid.
Notable Point · 18:18-23:02
Why an early Dardanelles blockade could not stop the invasion
Venice could not initially meet the Ottoman expedition at sea, and the first Dardanelles blockade still failed because wind, pay, and command problems weakened the Venetian effort.