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The Great Siege - A.D. 1565 On may 18th, 1565, a Turkish fleet of 138 galleys approached the island. About 38,000 men disembarked at Marsaxlokk and eleven days later, another 3,000 men from another 38 ships joined them. The men were led by Dragut and the Bey of Algiers. The siege started with an attack on Fort St. Elmo. It is said that over sixty thousand cannon-balls were fired during the attack. Dragut was killed during the assault on the Fort.