The Laestrygonians destroy eleven of Odysseus’s twelve ships.
The disaster occurs in Book 10 of Homer’s Odyssey, when Odysseus and his fleet reach Telepylus, the stronghold of the Laestrygonians. The ships enter a sheltered harbor enclosed by steep cliffs, but Odysseus keeps his own vessel outside because he is suspicious of the location. That decision allows him to escape.
The Laestrygonians are portrayed as enormous, violent cannibals. After Odysseus’s scouts encounter King Antiphates, the inhabitants attack the fleet from the cliffs, hurling massive rocks and spearing sailors. The ships trapped inside the harbor are destroyed almost immediately, and their crews are killed.
The number is easy to confuse with the fleet’s original total: Odysseus begins this episode with twelve ships, and only his survives. The survivors then sail to Aeaea, the island of Circe. This is one of the most devastating losses in the poem because Odysseus loses nearly all his remaining companions at once.