The siege begins on April 3, 1563,…
April 1563 CE
The fierce resistance of the fort's garrison, along with artillery support from Mers El Kébir, inflicts heavy casualties on the attackers.
However, once the Ottoman cannons break down the walls, the fort is soon taken.
Meantime Jafar's galleys block Mers El Kébir to prevent the city to be relieved from Oran.
The Ottomans' main objective is capture the of Mers El Kébir, as Hassan has been warned by several renegades that the Spanish plan to abandon Oran to concentrate on the defense of the former town.
He therefore assigns most of his troops to take the fort of San Miguel, a key point of the Spanish defense, while only a few troops remain blocking Oran.
San Miguel's fort is attacked during twenty-two days by twenty-four thousand infantry and four hundred cavalry.
The few defenders reject Hassan's offer of surrender and successfully repel six assaults that leave the moat full of dead Janissaries.
Among the Ottoman casualties is the governor of Constantine, whose body is recovered by his men with the permission of Martín de Córdoba.