--- title: Roman Naval Warfare author: Mark Cartwright source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Naval_Warfare/ format: machine-readable-alternate license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) updated: 2023-06-26 --- # Roman Naval Warfare _Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_ Military supremacy of the seas could be a crucial factor in the success of any land campaign, and the Romans well knew that a powerful naval fleet could supply troops and equipment to where they were most needed in as short a time as possible. Naval vessels could also supply beleaguered ports under enemy attack and, in turn, blockade ports under enemy control. A powerful navy was also indispensable to deal with pirates, who wreaked havoc with commercial sea-traders and even, on occasion, blockaded ports. Naval [warfare](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/) had its own unique dangers, though, with adverse weather being the biggest threat to success, which is why naval campaigns were largely limited to between April and November. ### Ships & Weapons Ancient naval vessels were made of wood, water-proofed using pitch and paint, and propelled by both sail and oars. Ships with multiple levels of rowers, such as the [trireme](https://www.worldhistory.org/trireme/), were fast and manoeuvrable enough to attack enemy vessels by ramming. The largest ships were the quinqueremes, with three banks of rowers, two each for the upper two oars and one rower on the lower oar (around 300 in total). Ships could also be fitted with a platform via which marines could easily board enemy vessels - a device known as the *corvus* (raven). Built for speed, most warships were lightweight, cramped, and without room for storage or even a large body of troops. Such logistical purposes were better achieved using troop carrier vessels and supply ships under sail. Aside from the [bronze](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/bronze/)-covered battering ram below the waterline on the ship's prow, other weapons included artillery ballista which could be mounted on ships to provide lethal salvoes on enemy land positions from an unexpected and less protected flank or also against other vessels. Fireballs (pots of burning pitch) could also be launched at the enemy vessel to destroy it by fire rather than ramming. ### Personnel Fleets came to be commanded by a prefect (*praefectus*) appointed by the emperor, and the position required someone with great skill and leadership qualities to successfully marshal a fleet of sometimes unwieldy vessels. The captain of a vessel held [centurion](https://www.worldhistory.org/Centurion/) rank or the title of *trierarchus*. Fleets were based at fortified ports such as Portus [Julius](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Julius/) in Campania which included artificial harbours and lagoons connected by tunnels. Crews of [Roman military](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Army/) vessels could be trained in such ports, but they were, in reality, more soldiers than sailors as they were expected to act as light-armed land troops when necessary. Indeed, they are typically referred to as *miles* (soldiers) in documents and funeral monuments, and they also received the same pay as infantry auxiliaries and were similarly subject to [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) military [law](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/law/). Crews were typically recruited locally and drawn from the poorer classes (the *proletarii*) but could also include recruits from allied states, prisoners of [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/), and slaves. Training was, therefore, a crucial requirement, so that the collective manpower was used most efficiently and discipline was maintained in the frenzy and horror of [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/). ### Tactics Roman naval tactics differed little from the methods employed by the earlier Greeks. Vessels were propelled by rowers and sail to transport troops, and in naval battles, the vessels became battering rams using their bronze-wrapped rams. In actual battle, sailing manoeuvrability was limited and so rowers propelled the vessels when at close quarters with the enemy. Sails and rigging were stored on shore, which saved weight, increased the vessel's stability, and left more room for marines. The objective was to position the ram to punch a hole in the enemy vessel and then withdraw to allow water into the stricken ship. Alternatively, a well-aimed swipe could break one bank of the enemy's oars and thus disable it. To achieve this sort of damage, the best angle of attack was to the enemy's flank or rear. Therefore, not only was manoeuvrability under oar a necessity but so, too, was speed. This is why, over time, vessels had more and more rowers, not along the ship's length which would make the ship unseaworthy, but by piling rowers on top of each other. Thus the trireme of the Greeks, with three levels of rowers, had evolved from the bireme with two levels, and the trireme eventually evolved into the Roman quinquereme. [ ![Roman Naval Vessel](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/4438.jpg?v=1713801663) Roman Naval Vessel Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4438/roman-naval-vessel/ "Roman Naval Vessel")### Against [Carthage](https://www.worldhistory.org/carthage/) Rome had employed naval vessels from the early [Roman Republic](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Republic/) in the 4th century BCE, especially in response to the threat from pirates in the Tyrrhenian Sea, but it was in 260 BCE that they built, in a mere 60 days, their first significant navy. A fleet of 100 quinqueremes and 20 triremes was assembled in response to the threat from Carthage. In typically Roman fashion, the designers copied from and improved upon a captured Carthaginian quinquereme. The Romans had also recognised the inferiority of their seamanship compared to the much more advanced [Carthaginian naval warfare](https://www.worldhistory.org/Carthaginian_Naval_Warfare/). For this reason, they employed the *corvus*. This was an 11-metre long platform that could be lowered from the ship's bow onto the decks of enemy vessels and fixed via a huge [metal](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/metal/) spike. Roman troops (around 120 on each ship) could then board the opposing vessel and make short work of the enemy crew. The first engagement where the *corvi* were employed with great effect was the Battle of Mylae off the coast of northern [Sicily](https://www.worldhistory.org/sicily/) in 260 BCE. The two fleets were evenly matched with 130 vessels apiece, but the Carthaginians, not expecting the Romans to be any great shakes at naval warfare, did not even bother to form battle lines. The *corvus* proved a devastatingly successful attack weapon against the disorganised Carthaginians, and a Roman victory was the result, albeit, an unexpected one. Not only did the commander and [consul](https://www.worldhistory.org/Consul/) Caius Duilius have the satisfaction of seeing his opposite number flee his flagship in a rowing boat, but he was also granted a military [triumph](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Triumph/) for this, Rome's first great victory at sea. ### [ ![Naval Landing](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/1341.jpg?v=1778662344) Naval Landing The Creative Assembly (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1341/naval-landing/ "Naval Landing") ### Ecnomus The Battle of Ecnomus, in 256 BCE off the southern coast of Sicily, was one of, if not the, largest sea battles in ancient times, and it would show that Mylae had been no fluke. The Romans, buoyed by their first success, had expanded their fleet so that they now had 330 quinqueremes with a total of 140,000 men ready for battle. The Carthaginians set sail with 350 ships, and the two massive fleets met off the coast of Sicily. The Romans organised themselves into four squadrons arranged in a wedge shape. The Carthaginians sought to entice the front two Roman squadrons away from the rear two and catch them in a pincer movement. However, whether through a lack of manoeuvrability or proper communication of intentions, the Carthaginian fleet instead attacked the Roman rear transport squadron whilst the front two Roman squadrons caused havoc inside the Carthaginian centre. In the close-quarter fighting, seamanship counted for little and the *corvi* for everything. Once again, victory was Rome's. Carthage lost 100 ships to a mere 24 Roman losses. The war dragged on, though, as Rome's immediate invasion of North [Africa](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/africa/) proved a costly failure. A notable expedition led by Gnaeus Servilius Rufus in 217 BCE cleared Italian waters of Carthaginian raiders and the Romans did eventually defeat the Carthaginian fleet, but largely because they were able to replace lost ships and men quicker in what became a war of real attrition. Victories were mixed with defeat at Drepna in 249 BCE, and disasters such as the loss of 280 ships and 100,000 men in a single storm off the coast of Camarina in south-east Sicily, but, eventually, Rome prevailed. The war had cost Rome 1,600 ships, but the prize was worth it: domination of the Mediterranean. This sea control became useful in Rome's wars with the successor kingdoms of [Alexander the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alexander_the_Great/) in the Macedonian Wars. Between 198 and 195 BCE, for example, Rome repeatedly launched successful seaborne raids against Philip V of [Macedon](https://www.worldhistory.org/macedon/)'s ally Nabis, the Spartan tyrant. ### [Pompey](https://www.worldhistory.org/pompey/) & Pirates in the Ancient Mediterranean With the decline of [Rhodes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rhodes/), which had for centuries policed the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to protect its lucrative [trade](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/trade/) routes, [piracy](https://www.worldhistory.org/Piracy/) became rife in the 1st century BCE. More than 1,000 pirate ships, often organised along military lines with fleets and admirals, were now the scourge of sea trade. They also grew in confidence, acquiring triremes and even raiding [Italy](https://www.worldhistory.org/italy/) itself, attacking [Ostia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ostia/) and disrupting the all-important grain supply. In 67 BCE Rome once more amassed a fleet, and [Pompey the Great](https://www.worldhistory.org/pompey/) was given the task of ridding the seas of the pirate pest in three years. With 500 ships, 120,000 men, and 5,000 cavalry at his disposal, Pompey divided his force into 13 zones and, himself leading a squadron, first cleared Sicily, then North Africa, Sardinia, and Spain. Finally, he sailed for [Cilicia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cilicia/) in [Asia Minor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Asia_Minor/), where the pirates had their bases and where they had been deliberately allowed to gather by Pompey for a last decisive battle. Attacking by sea and land, and victorious in the battle of Coracesium, Pompey negotiated a pirate surrender with a sweetener of free land for those who gave themselves up peacefully. The last threat to Rome's complete control of the Mediterranean was gone. ### Civil War Now the only threat to Rome was Rome itself and, so it was; civil war ravaged Italy. [Julius Caesar](https://www.worldhistory.org/Julius_Caesar/) emerged the victor, and the remnants of Pompey's fleet became the backbone of the Roman navy, which was used to good effect in the expeditions to invade [Britain](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Britain/) - the larger second expedition in 54 BCE involved a fleet of 800 ships. Following [Caesar](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/caesar/)'s assassination in 44 BCE, the fleet came under the control of Sextus Pompeius Magnus, ironically, the son of Pompey. By 38 BCE [Octavian](https://www.worldhistory.org/augustus/), Caesar's heir, had to amass another fleet to meet the threat of Sextus. Giving command to [Marcus Agrippa](https://www.worldhistory.org/Marcus_Agrippa/), 370 vessels were dispatched to attack Sicily and the fleet of Sextus. Once again, a lack of well-trained seamen forced commanders to innovate, and [Agrippa](https://www.worldhistory.org/Marcus_Agrippa/) went for brute force over manoeuvrability and employed a catapult-propelled grapnel on his vessels. This device allowed ships to be winched into close quarters to facilitate boarding by marines. The weapon proved devastatingly effective in 36 BCE at the 600-ship battle of Naulochos (Sicily again), and Sextus was defeated. [ ![Praetorian Galley](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/6076.jpg?v=1713801629) Praetorian Galley Mark Cartwright (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/6076/praetorian-galley/ "Praetorian Galley")### Actium In 31 BCE, near Actium on the western coast of [Greece](https://www.worldhistory.org/greece/), there occurred one of the most significant naval battles in history. Still battling for control of the [Roman Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Empire/), Octavian now faced [Mark Antony](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mark_Antony/) and his ally, the [Egyptian](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Egyptian/) queen, [Cleopatra](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/cleopatra/). Both sides amassed a fleet and made ready to attack the other. [Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Mark/) [Antony](https://www.worldhistory.org/Mark_Antony/) led a fleet of 500 warships and 300 merchant ships against Octavian's similar-sized force, although Antony had larger and less manoeuvrable [Hellenistic](https://www.worldhistory.org/Hellenic_World/)-type vessels. Agrippa, still in command, launched his attack early in the sailing season and so caught Antony by surprise. The northern outposts of Antony's forces were the target, a move which created a diversion whilst Octavian landed his army. In any case, Antony refused to be drawn from his fortified harbour in the Gulf of Ambricia. Blockade was Agrippa's only option. Perhaps, Antony was playing for time, waiting for his legions to assemble from around Greece. Octavian, though, would not be drawn into a land battle and dug in his fleet behind a defensive mole 8 km to the north. As disease ravaged his troops and his supply lines became increasingly threatened by Agrippa, Antony had little choice but to try and break out on the 2nd of September. Not helped by a defector giving Octavian his plans and several generals switching sides, Antony could only muster 230 ships against Agrippa's 400. Agrippa's strategy was to hold station at sea and lure Antony away from the coast. However, this would have exposed Antony to the greater manoeuvrability of Agrippa's vessels, so he tried to hug the coast and avoid encirclement. As the wind rose around noon, Antony saw his chance for escape as his fleet was under sail whilst Agrippa's had stowed their sails on shore, standard practice in ancient naval warfare. The two fleets met and engaged and in the confusion, Cleopatra's 60-ship squadron fled the battle. Antony quickly followed suit; abandoning his flagship for another vessel, he followed his lover and left his fleet to be crushed by Agrippa and Octavian's combined forces. Soon after, Antony's land army, now leaderless, surrendered to Octavian with a negotiated peace. The propaganda of the victors predictably blamed [Cleopatra and Antony](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/197/cleopatra--antony/)'s cowardice for the defeat, but the fact that Antony had engaged Agrippa under sail suggests that, heavily outnumbered, he had, from the start, intended flight rather than combat. [ ![Ancient Naval Battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/img/r/p/750x750/1212.png?v=1778673266) Ancient Naval Battle The Creative Assembly (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1212/ancient-naval-battle/ "Ancient Naval Battle")### Rome Stands Alone Following the [Battle of Actium](https://www.worldhistory.org/Battle_of_Actium/), the new [Roman emperor](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Emperor/) Octavian, now calling himself [Augustus](https://www.worldhistory.org/augustus/), established two 50-ship fleets - the *classis Ravennatium* based at Ravenna and the c*lassis Misenatium* based at Misenum (near Naples), which were in operation until the 4th century CE. There were also later fleets based at [Alexandria](https://www.worldhistory.org/alexandria/), [Antioch](https://www.worldhistory.org/Antiochia/), Rhodes, Sicily, Libya, Pontus, and Britain, as well as one operating on the Rhine and another two on the Danube. These fleets allowed Rome to quickly respond to any military needs throughout the Roman [Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/empire/) and to supply the army in its various campaigns. In truth though, there was no real naval competition to Rome's fleets. This is evidenced by the fact that in the following centuries, Rome was involved in only one more major naval battle - in 324 CE between emperor [Constantine I](https://www.worldhistory.org/Constantine_I/) and his rival Licinius - and so, in the ancient Mediterranean at least, after Actium, the days of large-scale naval battles were over. #### Editorial Review This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/). ## Bibliography - [Anglim, S. *FIGHTING TECHNIQUES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD 3000 BCE-500CE.* Amber Books, 2013.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1909160466/) - [Barchiesi, A. *The Oxford Handbook of Roman Studies.* Oxford University Press, USA, 2010.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199211523/) - [Campbell, B. *The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World.* Oxford University Press, USA, 2013.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0195304659/) - Grant, M. *The History of Rome.* Faber & Faber, 1993 - [Hornblower, S. *The Oxford Classical Dictionary.* Oxford University Press, USA, 2012.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199545561/) - [Oleson, J.P. *The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World.* Oxford University Press, USA, 2009.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199734852/) - [Potter, D.S. *A Companion to the Roman Empire.* Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1405199180/) ## About the Author Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share. ## Timeline - **264 BCE - 241 BCE**: [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). [Carthage](https://www.worldhistory.org/carthage/) cedes [Sicily](https://www.worldhistory.org/sicily/) to [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/). - **260 BCE**: First [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) naval victory against [Carthage](https://www.worldhistory.org/carthage/) off Mylae in the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **260 BCE**: [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) builds a fleet of 120 ships in just 60 days to fight the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **258 BCE**: [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) wins a naval [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) against [Carthage](https://www.worldhistory.org/carthage/) at Sulcis during the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **256 BCE**: [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) naval victory against [Carthage](https://www.worldhistory.org/carthage/) off Ecnomus during the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **255 BCE - 253 BCE**: [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) fleets are wrecked by storms off Pachynus and Palinurus during the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **249 BCE**: [Carthage](https://www.worldhistory.org/carthage/) defeats [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) in a naval [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) at Drepanum during the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **242 BCE**: A [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) fleet besieges the Carthaginian stronghold of Drepana on [Sicily](https://www.worldhistory.org/sicily/) during the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **241 BCE**: [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) naval victory off the Aegates Islands leads to victory over [Carthage](https://www.worldhistory.org/carthage/), ending the [First Punic War](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Punic_War/). - **229 BCE - 228 BCE**: [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) fights Illyrian pirates. Queen Teuta pays tribute to Rome. - **67 BCE**: [Pompey](https://www.worldhistory.org/pompey/) assembles a naval fleet and attacks Pamphylia and [Cilicia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Cilicia/), principally to repress [piracy](https://www.worldhistory.org/Piracy/). - **56 BCE**: The navies of [Rome](https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/) and the Veneti Gauls clash resulting in a [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) victory. This is the first recorded naval [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) in the Atlantic Ocean. - **55 BCE - 54 BCE**: [Julius Caesar](https://www.worldhistory.org/Julius_Caesar/)'s expeditions in [Britain](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Britain/). - **38 BCE**: [Octavian](https://www.worldhistory.org/augustus/) amasses a naval fleet to defeat Sextus [Pompey](https://www.worldhistory.org/pompey/). - **36 BCE**: [Agrippa](https://www.worldhistory.org/Marcus_Agrippa/) defeats the naval fleet of Sextus [Pompey](https://www.worldhistory.org/pompey/) in the [battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) of Naulochos. - **43 CE**: [Claudius](https://www.worldhistory.org/claudius/) commences the [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) [conquest](https://www.worldhistory.org/warfare/) of [Britain](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Britain/). ## External Links - [Why is there a "graveyard of ships" near Naples?](https://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/why-is-there-a-graveyard-of-ships-near-naples.htm) ## Cite This Work ### APA Cartwright, M. (2014, April 13). Roman Naval Warfare. *World History Encyclopedia*. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman\_Naval\_Warfare/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Naval_Warfare/) ### Chicago Cartwright, Mark. "Roman Naval Warfare." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 13, 2014. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman\_Naval\_Warfare/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Naval_Warfare/). ### MLA Cartwright, Mark. "Roman Naval Warfare." *World History Encyclopedia*, 13 Apr 2014, [https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman\_Naval\_Warfare/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Naval_Warfare/). ## License & Copyright Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 13 April 2014. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). 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