Museum Report

Former Foes' Naval History on Display

Both Madrid and Istanbul boast navy museums—the Museo Naval and Deniz Muzesi, respectively—but the collections on display are so different it's difficult to recall that once the fleets of these former great powers shared a common history. In 1571 Spain and Ottoman Turkey met in one of history's largest and bloodiest battles at sea, Lepanto. In a few hours on a Sunday afternoon in early October more than 30,000 men were slain or drowned in shallow waters at the mouth of the Gulf of Patras, and nearly 200 oared galleys were sunk.