Why a land empire needed Ottoman naval power

Although the Ottoman Empire was primarily a land power, much of its internal connectivity became maritime as it expanded around the Mediterranean. Naval capability had already been necessary during the siege of Constantinople and remained important for moving and sustaining imperial power. Zonchio, also called the first Battle of Lepanto or Sapienza, occurred along a repeatedly contested maritime corridor between the rival bases. The Ottoman navy was therefore an instrument of internal communication and siege logistics as well as a force for contesting Venetian trade.