Nafpaktos is famous as the site of the battle of Lepanto, the last great battle involving war galleys. In 1571, in a desperate effort to assist the Venetians in their struggle to maintain their control of Cyprus against the invading Ottoman army, an alliance of Christian nations managed to send a fleet of 206 galleys (plus 6 larger galleasses) against the Ottoman navy that consisted of 208 galleys plus 120 smaller ships. It was a titanic clash, involving 70,000 Christian and 77,000 Ottoman soldiers and oarsmen. The battle was fought on October 7 and lasted a few hours. At its conclusion, the Ottoman fleet was completely destroyed. It was a pointless victory though, for within a year the Ottoman shipyards had replaced the losses, while Cyprus was not saved. And the battle was not even fought near Lepanto.