Action of 26 June 1625

The action of 26 June 1625 was a naval battle that took place on 26 June 1625 near Syracuse, Sicily, when 6 Bizertan vessels defeated 5 Maltese galleys.

On June 26th, while in harbor at Syracuse, the Maltese general, Tallamey, heard that six Bizertans had been sighted close at hand. Without waiting to embark extra troops or to make other preparations for action, he put them to sea and, to make things worse, allowed his galleys to attack the enemy one by one. In the end, after being wounded, he abandoned the battle and fled to Malta. Two other galleys escaped to Syracuse, but the ships, S. Giovanni and S. Francesco, were captured. Losses in all the galleys were severe. After this battle, the general resigned from his command

This setback prompted the Maltese Council to pass new orders concerning the number of men on board each galley and the qualifications of the captains.