Captain of the Gulf a cook ("cuoco"), a wine steward ("canever"), and two orderlies ("fanti di pizzuol"). In addition he had at his disposal a boat ("felucca") with twelve boatsmen ("caiccheri") and a rowed frigate with a captain ("padrone"), two steersmen ("timonieri"), two artillerymen ("bombardieri") and 18 rowers ("galeotti"). Captain of the Gulf The Captain of the Gulf (; ) was a senior naval command of the Republic of Venice. The post was established around 1330, when a squadron of ships was set up to patrol the "Gulf of Venice" (the Adriatic Sea) and provide protection for commerce there. Neither the squadron nor the
History of the Republic of Venice signed a treaty of peace by which the Turks took the Aegean duchy of Naxos from the Sanudo family. After Preveza the supremacy of the sea passed to the Ottomans. Difficulties in the rule of the sea brought further changes. Until 1545 the oarsmen in the galleys were free sailors enrolled on a wage. They were originally Venetians, but later Dalmatians, Cretans and Greeks joined in large numbers. Because of the difficulty in hiring sufficient crews, Venice had recourse to conscription, chaining the oarsmen to the benches as other navies had already done. Cristoforo da Canal was the first Venetian