Page 247 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo I

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ActA
British, 100 Italian, and 50 Austrian seamen occupied positions at Canea with the main
32
task of protecting the foreign consulates. Colonel Vassos was informed that any further
action taken by him would force the international fleet to open fire.
In a circular note Foreign Minister Gołuchowski notified the Austro-Hungarian am-
bassadors at London, Paris, Rome, Saint Petersburg, Athens, and Constantinople as well
as the consulate at Canea of the full participation of the Habsburg Monarchy in the col-
lective measures of the ‘European Concert’:
“Commander HM Ship ‘Maria Theresia’ was instructed via telegraph to participate
in all operations arranged between the commanders of the warships of the other powers
according to the instruction of the highest ranking [officer], also in the case of a possible
disembarkation of men.” 33

Within a few days the international fleet was reinforced: The Austro-Hungarian fleet
under Rear Admiral Johann Edler von Hinke arrived off Crete on 22 February, raising
the number of international units to 66 ships and boats, among them 23 Italian, 19 Brit-
ish, 9 Russian, 7 French, 7 Austro-Hungarian and one German (“Kaiserin Augusta” – it
was replaced by “Oldenburg” in a later phase of this operation).
This was just in time, as the situation on the island came to a head. On 23 February
1797 the rebels blocked Crete’s capital Candia with massive support of Colonel Vas-
sos and occupied the important town of Akrotiri on 25 February after large parts of the
Christian population on the island had joined the rebels.
Also on 23 February the admirals of the great powers convened for a first session
in the so-called “Admirals’ Council”, the highest authority of all maritime and land
forces sent to Crete. The Italian Vice Admiral Napoleone Conte Canevaro chaired the
council; Rear Admiral Hinke became his deputy. The main task of the Council was to
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re-establish and maintain peace and stability, to co-ordinate the naval activities of the
great powers and to protect the Ottoman forces on the island, along with the consuls and
the foreign citizens.
On 2 and 4 March 1797 the ambassadors in Athens and Constantinople submitted to
the Greek and Ottoman governments identical collective notes in which they reasserted
their will to grant Crete an autonomous status under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Em-
pire and urged Greece to withdraw its ships and troops from Crete within six days. In
case of non-compliance, they declared their readiness for a more energetic action to en-
force their plans and that they would not refrain from using their military potential from

32 HHStA, PA XII 281, fol. 582: telegram Commando Maria Theresia, Canea, 15.2.1897. See also Pangerl,
Participation of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the Crete Operation 1897-1898, p. 140.
33 HHStA, PA XII 281, fol. 585-593: circular note of Gołuchowski, Vienna, 15.2.1897.
34 Hinke certified Canevaro to be a strong leadership personality with diplomatic perception. He noted „that
he [Hinke] always had the friendly support of His Excellency the royal Italian Vice Admiral Napoleon
Canevaro in every respect and that it was due to his tactful conduct of the negotiations as well as the good
will manifested by all admirals to him and among each other that there were no divergences.“ Dell’Adami,
Die k. u. k. Streitkräfte auf und vor Kreta 1897/98, p. 34.