I’d never read this story before. Thanks for posting it. I would like to add something that I do know.
Just a few short years after this battle, in 1569, the turkish navy was utterly destroyed for all time by a combined christian fleet in the “battle of Lepanto”. Don Juan organized this fleet. A new warship was used in this battle and they were called galleasses. The Christians were greatly outnumbered but they had their secret weapons...the galleasses. Up untill the galleasses, warships were rowing vessels with cannons positioned in the front that fired forward. Galleasses were the first warships with cannons positioned on the sides that fired laterally. Putting the guns on the sides enabled one ship to carry many more guns than otherwise possible. So the christians, although greatly outnumbered, had more guns. In order to defeat the turks, they had to use their brains and superior naval tactics against a larger fleet. In order to use galleasses to their full potential, the ship would have to be turned sideways at the moment of battle to bring all guns to bear on the enemy. Cannoners marksmanship abilities were much more important, as were the skills of the ship captains and his crew to precisely maneuver the ship with sails alone. The turks’ strategy was much more simple...encircle the smaller enemy fleet and charge straight into them by use of oars with forward guns blazing...little skill required.
Well, the turks failed and never recovered from their maritime defeat. From then on, turks threatened christians from the land only. Thus this is the battle that sealed the fate of the turks and the ottoman empire as well.
The battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571.
The Christians were not greatly outnumbered, having roughly 42,000 men to roughly 47,000 for the Turks. Also the Christians had about 220 ships to about 270 to 300 for the Turks, but the Christian ships were on average larger and more powerful.
The battle was fought to a large extent between Christians armed with arquebuses and Turks armed with compound bows.
Unfortunately, the battle did not did not bring an end Turkish naval power, as they rebuilt their fleet within six months and conquered North Africa and Cyprus after Lepanto, and within a few years were again routinely raiding Sicily and southern Italy.
However, it was a portent of the future and Turkish fleets generally tried to avoid full-tilt combat after Lepanto.
Interestingly, Cervantes fought at Lepanto, was wounded three times, and had his right hand permanently crippled.
G. K. Chesterton wrote a famous poem about Don Juan and the Battle of Lepanto