War broke out between the Beylik of Tunis and the Republic of Venice after a Venetian-flagged merchant ship laden with goods from the Barbary coast was burned by the authorities in Malta due to it being infected with the plague.

In response, the Venetians appointed the distinguished admiral Angelo Emo as Capitano Straordinario delle Navi, and tasked him with conducting the war against the Bey.

Emo left this prize with the Forza and Nettuno on blockade duty while he moved the rest of the fleet northwards as far as Cape Farina.

Damage to the beds of the mortars in the bomb-vessels and renewed bad weather interrupted the attack, but it was resumed on the 12th for a short time.

The captain of the Forza, Alessandro Mora, died at Trapani from blood poisoning caused by an injury to his hand that had occurred during the action off Sousse.

As Emo's fleet entered the harbour of Trapani on 19 November, bad weather struck and the Forza was sunk, but with little loss of life.

[4] On 6 August, Emo left Sousse and moved south to Sfax, sending the Eolo back to Trapani with the sick, and the Concordia to watch La Goulette.

[4] Emo had constructed two rafts formed from casks and spare yards, on each of which was mounted one of his heaviest guns with a sandbag parapet as protection.

[6] The Sirena and Eolo were sent out a month later to cruise eastward for the protection of Venetian commerce, while the Concordia and Esploratore worked along the south coast of Sicily to Trapani and back.

On 26 February 1786, he left Malta with his whole fleet except the Sirena, which had too many sick on board to be included, and on 12 March, after the usual delays caused by bad weather, he anchored off Sfax.

There was unexpectedly little water and it proved impossible for the bomb-vessels to get in as close as they had done in the previous year, but at last in the evening of 20 March it was possible to open fire.

[8] After only a short stay, Emo sailed again on 4 September with all his ships except the Cavalier Angelo, which was away at Livorno, and the Sirena, which was not yet ready for sea, though her new foremast had arrived from Venice on the 28th together with a quantity of ammunition and a large boat to carry another howitzer.

The rafts—six with guns and two with mortars—had been put together the day before and were now disposed with the bomb-vessels and the four shell-boats behind the intervals in the line of ships, to await a suitable moment for action.

[10] Two gun-rafts were now given mortars or howitzers and on 3 October the attack was resumed in bright moonlight, which enabled the shore guns to inflict some damage and cause a few casualties.

Tommaso Condulmer, elected Patron delle Navi, arrived on 27 December from Livorno to take the place of Querini, and on the following day he took the Sirena and Palma for a cruise on the Tunisian coast, returning to Malta on 9 January 1787.

[15] On the contrary, the Senate decided to leave only a small force to protect trade and pick up Tunisian prizes, if possible, and to recall the bulk of the fleet to waters nearer home.

[10] The reason for this move is not clear, but it may have been the knowledge that another war between Russia and the Ottomans was not far off and that this would probably involve fighting or at any rate disturbance in waters round the coasts of Greece.

[11] Over the next years, the Tunisians put some smaller craft out to sea, and Condulmer was provided with rowed galeots to deal with them.

[16] In late 1790, the Senate named Emo Provveditore Generale da Mar, but did not entrust him with leading the fleet against the Tunisian coast.

The Senate feared that Emo's aggressive nature would hamper these efforts, and instead placed Condulmer, promoted to Capitano delle Navi, in charge of the peace negotiations.

[17] In 1791, the Venetian government decided on a final show of force, reuniting the fleet of Emo with the squadron of Condulmer, now promoted to Almirante.

[16] Condulmer returned towards Tunis on 28 August and Emo followed early in September, to cruise on and off the Tunisian coasts with Favignana as his base, while negotiations about peace terms continued in fits and starts.