Navarino Bay looked like an excellent defensive anchorage because the long island of Sfaktiria sheltered it from the open sea. A shallow northern channel was effectively unusable by warships, leaving the broader southern entrance as the practical approach. Fortifications at Navarino and the island's southern tip could cover that chokepoint. Those same features concentrated the Ottoman-Egyptian fleet and limited its freedom to move once Allied ships passed the entrance.
Chapter · 2:12:56-2:13:54
Navarino Bay looked like a secure fleet anchorage
A long island, a shallow northern channel, and a fortified southern entrance created a sheltered but confining harbor.