The answer to the Revolutionaries quest for a way to battle the united Ottoman Egyptian forces came in the form of innovation and technology. Lord Frank Abney Hastings a British aristocrat and naval officer was obsessed with the use of steam to propel ships, particularly warships and the use of advanced guns to fire red hot cannon shots. Hastings argued that steam warships that could attack with direct shells and hot shots could balance the might of the Ottoman and Egyptian Ships of the Line and of course Frigates and Corvettes. Hastings’ plan was adopted by the  Revolutionaries  and  led  to  the  acquisition  of  Corvette  KARTERIA (PERSEVERENCE) the first steam warship to participate in sea battles and war operations.

During battle KARTERIA had two main advantages. First she could maneuver with a speed of 7 knots in any direction without wind. Second she could fire iron sots heated  in  the  ship’s  boilers that  had  a  destructive  impact  on  their  targets  much more effective than that of guns used at that time. Conventional warships at that time would have an average cost of 63.000 English Pounds and needed a crew of 900 sailors while KARTERIA costed 15.000 English Pounds and needed a crew of 150. 

The Greek Administration ordered the construction of six steam warships in total, however only one was delivered to the Revolutionaries. The steam engines were the responsibility of British engineer Alexander Galloway whose son was an engineer in the shipyards of Egypt. There is no actual evidence in our knowledge at the moment, but it would not be a far reaching assumption that fear about his son affected Galloway’s effectiveness to deliver the steam engines.

The  contribution  of  Lord  Hastings  in  the  acquisition  and  participation  of KARTERIA in the war against the Ottomans and the Egyptians was fundamental.

Not only was he a great visionary and designer he also spent a big part of  his fortune  to  complete  and  operate  the  ship  as  her Commanding  Officer  during operations and battles. Only in 1827, KARTERIA fired 18000 cannon shots and in the Battle of Itea sank 9 Ottoman ships by herself. Lord Hastings had a leading role in the operation to recapture Messolonghi but unfortunately during the operation he was severely wounded in action and shortly after he passed away on June 1, 1828.

“The cannon is a donation of the Admiral’s (ret.) Manolopoulou family.”