After defeating the privateer Ali Arraez Rabazin in Tunis while searching for the Tunisian fleet, Bazán sunk other two Barbary ships in Cape Farina before returning to hand over the prey to Sicily, after which they continued towards the Gulf of Venice.

[2] Viceroy of Sicily Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy immediately sent in Bazán with his previous 14 galleys, reinforced this time with four more from the Republic of Genoa that were by chance in Messina.

[4] The Christians then boarded the rest, unchaining galley slaves and making prisoners, before eventually capturing all the seven ships.

[6] One of the captured ships turned out to be the former flagship of the Spanish galley squad of Barcelona, taken by Barbary corsairs in a previous encounter.

[4] They also found out that another of the Turkish ships was carruing a female relative of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Murad IV, taking her to Messina with the care appropriate to her rank.