In April 1897 the Greek army was ready to attack the Ottoman Empire to secure the union of the island of Crete to Greece. The passenger steamship “Macedonia” entered the Ambracian Gulf carrying passengers and war materiel (including donkeys). On April 6/18 the Turkish gunneries along the coast detected the ship and attempted to sink it in the middle of the channel, to prevent other enemy vessels from entering the gulf. The captain of “Macedonia” managed to beach his steamer in shallow waters near Aktio, where it was eventually destroyed by Turkish bombshells.