The Ottoman-Egyptian fleet formed a horseshoe with its largest ships forward and smaller vessels firing through the gaps so that successive lines could support one another. That geometry instead placed the lightest guns farthest from the allied hulls and sent their shot toward the thickest lower structure of ships of the line. Because the allies could warp around their anchors to shift their firing arcs, damage to rigging was also less decisive than it would have been in a battle under sail. The formation's apparent depth therefore added far less combat power than its designers expected.
Notable Point · 1:04:07-1:05:55
The weaknesses of the Ottoman horseshoe formation
The Ottoman crescent packed smaller vessels behind the first line, but distance, weak shot, and the allies' anchored maneuvering reduced the supporting fire it was meant to create.