Unlike most other prominent figures of the War, he had never been initiated into the Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends), which played a significant role in the uprising against the Ottoman Empire, primarily by secret recruitment of supporters against the Turkish rule.

[1] The island formed its own fleet and the famed seamen of Psara, already known for their well-equipped ships and successful battles against sea pirates, proved to be highly effective in naval warfare.

The admiral was holding a Bayram celebration, allowing Kanaris and his men to position their fire ship without being noticed.

He was famously said to have encouraged himself by murmuring "Konstantí, you are going to die" every time he was approaching a Turkish warship on the fire boat he was about to detonate.

A part of the population, including Kanaris, managed to flee the island, but those who didn't were either sold into slavery or slaughtered.

[8] After the end of the War and the independence of Greece, Kanaris became an officer of the new Hellenic Navy, reaching the rank of admiral, and a prominent politician.

Konstantinos Kanaris is considered a national hero in Greece and ranks amongst the most notable participants of the War of Independence.

To honour Kanaris, the following ships of the Hellenic Navy have been named after him:[10] Te Korowhakaunu / Kanáris Sound, a section of Taiari / Chalky Inlet in New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, was named after Konstantinos Kanaris by French navigator and explorer Jules de Blosseville (1802–1833).