 The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Ludwig von Erlichshausen, led the Teutonic fleet, in an attempt to come to the aid of the city of Mewe ("Gniew") via the Vistula River, which had been besieged by Polish forces since July, 1463.The Teutonic knights assembled 44 ships, mostly fishing boats, along with several galleys, staffed by 2500 men, of which around 1500 were armed.The Prussian ships were led by privateers Vincent Stolle and Matthew Kolmener, of Danzig (now Gdańsk); and Jacob Vochs of Elbing (now Elbląg); with support from troops of the Polish king, Casimir IV Jagiellon.