When the Order settled in Malta, it soon disco­vered that it had less than total sovereignty over its navy which became practically an auxiliary to that of Spain. Political circumstances dictated that as the naval forces in the Mediterranean were rallied behind two main powerful ideologies

the Christian and the Muslim

the Spanish would be the leader of the former. Less than two month after their arrival in 1530, Charles V ordered the navy of the knights to join his Imperial Fleet, led by Andrea Doria, in an attack on Cherchel, a Muslim base eighty kilome­tres west of Algiers
The following year Charles again called upon the Order to participate in the Spanish sea-borne attack on Ain et-Turk, near Oran, led by Alvaro de Bazen. In 1532 the Order had to provide four galleys when Doria attacked Coron in Greece.
The Order once again provided four galleys and the carrack Sant 'Anna when, in June 1535, Char­les himself led an armada of 400 ships and 30,000 men to invade Tunis. Though both Carthage and Goletta were taken, the famous corsair, Keyr ed­Din, managed to escape. Although this victory relieved the Order of great pressure in the south, the forces of Dragut devastated Gozo in 1551 and also conquered the fortress of Tripoli.
In 1560 three of the Order's galleys took part in a retaliatory expedition against Dragut in Djerba. The plan was, however, betrayed by a certain Gozitan, Mariano Santoro, and the Christians lost 20 out of their 28 vessels together with thousands of men, who were either killed or enslaved. The Order's galleys escaped, thanks to the skill of the Maltese pilot, Tomeo Cassia. The traitor, Santoro, was later captured and Hung.

When the routed navy arrived at Malta, La Vallette offered the Order' ships to return to Djerba and rescue the men who had been made prisoners. The viceroy of Sicily, on whose insis­tence the base of Djerba had been chosen as the target of the assault rather than Tripoli as La Vallette had advised, did not dare risk his fleet again without his Emperor's express consent.
Moreover two of the galleys of the Order had suffered serious losses and for four whole years the Knights did not mount any sea-borne assaults with the exception of the unsuccessful attack on Oran and Mers-al-Kebir in 1563.
In 1654 four of the Order's galleys helped in the conquest of Penori de Ye' lez. It was this incident, together with the swash-buckling deeds of the Knight Maturin de Lescaut, known as Romegas, who was wrecking havoc with Turkish shipping, that finally forced the Sultan to retaliate and remove their threat once and for all. The Turks attacked the knights in 1565 and for three whole months they had to suffer the savagery of their enraged enemies.

In 1569 a richly laden Turkish vessel was seized near Alexandria by two of the Order's galleys on a rivateering expedition. The nine per cent levy aid on the value of the landed booty was a welcome addition to the common treasury and no doubt was instrumental in helping Grand Master Pietro del Monte (1568-72) to decide to encourage further similar forays.
Privateering was to the Order a fully-fledged industry, costing nothing to set up and at the same time protecting local shipping by keeping Muslim corsairs away from our shores. The Maltese had a particular attraction towards his industry. The Order however did not usually allow them to set up their own ships but preferred to utilize them on its own navy and on the building projects all over the island.
The unstable economic conditions then prevailing on the continent helped the Order to reach its aim. Other men from the various poor countries of Europe, who had travelled to Malta in search of work, in fact, often joined Maltese workers. These men, some of them thieves, bri­gands and felons, came to augment the fighting forces of the Order and helped to offset some of the losses incurred in the greatest defeat in the Order's maritime history on 15 July 1570.
On that day of the four galleys led by Jean Francois de St Clement, only one, S. Maria della Vittoria managed to escape from a Turkish attack, the others, the Capitana, the S. Giovanni, and the Sant Anna, together with hundreds of fighting men, most of them Maltese, were lost or carried away to Algiers by Lucciali. St Clement himself did not even dare return but fled to Spain.
When later he decided to come back he was tried, found guilty and hanged. He was buried at sea a few kilometres off the Grand Harbour. Also executed was Orlando Magri, the master of the Capitana, who had distinguished himself during the Siege of 1565.

in 1570, after expelling the Venitians from Cyprus, the Ottoman Turks became the absolute masters of the Eastern Mediterranean. In order to meet the threat of a Turkish invasion of Europe, Pius V encouraged the Venetians and the Spa­niards to smooth over their numerous differences and form a Holy League. The Pope himself pled­ged all possible financial aid such as subsidies and tax-exemptions. The League was eventually sign­ed on 20 may 1571.
The League's armada, under the overall leader­ship of Don Juan of Austria, sailed from Messina on 16 September 1571 bound for Corfu'. The Order contributed only three galleys, the S. Maria della Vittoria, the S. Giovanni and the S. Pietro under the command of Pietro Giustiniani. The knight Romegas was nominated Sovrindente delle galere pontiflee by Marcantonio Colonna.

THE GREAT SIEGE, 1565

By 1565, the Order had regained its former strength and its capture of the Sultan's galley at a naval battle was the last straw for the Turks, for a long time, the latter had been pre­paring a formidable fleet and army to attack Malta, on his part, Grand Master La Vallette Malta's amazing leader ordered all Knights back to Malta, mended or reconstructed old forts, and began to gather provisions and ammunition for the coming struggle. On May 6, a general call showed that Malta had 8,500 fighting men and 600 Knights. The 'civilians' were warmed to find refuge in Mdina and Birgu, and to take with them goods, animals and food.
On May 18, an armada of 180 Turkish galleys appeared on the horizon, on them, there were some 40,000 troops, 80,000 rounds of shot, and 400 cwt. of powder for weapons and small arms, there were also horses, food, ropes and tents. As soon as the smoke-signals were seen, La Vallette ordered the Blessed Sacrament to be exposed, and exhorted the Knights to receive Holy Communion, the courage of the Grand Master inspired confidence everywhere.
The Turks landed at Mellieha, San Tumas, Wied il-Ghajn (Marsascala), and at Marsaxlokk, directed by their fierce leaders Mustapha Pasha' Piali, and Dragut. They succeeded in enter­ing Marsamxett, scaling the heights of Sceberras, and laying siege to Fort St. Elmo, for weeks they fired at its walls, breach after breach was opened, but the defenders never gave up, at one time some began to doubt about the result, and La Vallette told them, "Come away if you like, other men and I will take your place". That was enough to keep every one at his post, and so for five weeks, the heroic garrison resisted all attacks until, on June 23, the Fort was taken, at the cost of Dragut himself and 8,000 of his picked men.
All the time, provisions and men were getting fewer, and La Vallette had several times asked the Viceroy of Sicily to send him help, the first 1,200 men, from Don Garcia, arrived here and La Vallette protested that it was useless to send such small forces when the enemy was receiving many more all the time. Then, on September 7, 8,500 men arrived, the Knights and the people were overjoyed, bells pealed out the message, and Mustapha, on being told that 20,000 men had arrived to help the Maltese, ordered a general retreat, and by the next day, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, there was not a single Turkish ship in Maltese waters. Malta's Cross had crushed the Turkish Crescent.

In all books where this great victory is described, special mention is made of the help given by boys, girls and women. It was wonderful to see them working hard and without fear to repair the walls and helping wherever they could. They even mixed with the fighters, helped the wounded, nursed the helpless, put aside or buried the dead, brought food and munitions, and hurled stones at the enemy.
It was their task to keep the soldiers fully supplied with all they needed, tubs were filled with water so that the soldiers could bathe themselves when they were scal­ded or burned. Loaves of bread and jars of water and wine were left everywhere so that the fighters could have food and drink without leaving their posts. Women and children distributed ammunition and arms at all times of night and day.
During heavy attacks, while the soldiers manned the guns, the rest of the population was harassing the enemy somehow or other, often by upturning cauldrons of boiling water, or wooden rings of fire, over the Turkish attackers and those that would try to scale the walls, Even in their own small or weak ways, women and children helped to defeat the enemy

MALTA VICTORIOUS

At the utter defeat of the Turks, the bells of St. Angelo rang joyously, prayers and thanksgiving were offered in every church, and messengers left the harbour to announce Malta's victory to all Europe. The news that Malta had beaten the Sultan and his infidel army was carried to all parts of Europe by ships, horsemen, and signal fires. From Sicily to Rome, to Paris, and even as far away as London, bells were rung in all Catholic churches of Europe to show that Malta had saved Europe and Christen­dom. It was impossible to believe that such a tiny island had defeated the Sultan's forces.
In the Eternal City, the Pope announced the great event of our victory with sal­voes of gunfire. Then, a solemn public procession was held from St. Mary Major to St. John Lateran in which all Cardinals present in Rome took part, and a solemn High Mass was sung at the end.
After these ceremonies, the Pope also wrote to Grand Master La Vallette to con­gratulate him, while King Philip II of Spain sent him a beautiful dagger, and a sword the golden hilt of which was covered with precious stones. Tiny Malta had saved Europe from the invincible Turks.