Navarino was an episode of the Greek War of Independence, but British and French fear of Russian expansion drove the intervention. The allied fleet hoped to compel the Ottoman-Egyptian forces to leave Greece and reinforce the Ottoman frontier instead. French officers who had supplied much of the Ottoman-Egyptian fleet's training and command support had withdrawn, increasing the risk that a local decision would spread. A clash around a fire ship then escalated inside the crowded anchorage into the destruction of the fleet the allies had meant to preserve.
Chapter · 3:11-7:18
Why Navarino became a deterrence crisis
Navarino began as an attempted show of force but became a fleet battle when violence spread from a fire ship and frigates to the ships of the line.