Guest spartacus Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 The battle of Ecnomus 256 involved more people than any naval engagement in history! The 1st Punic war was the greatest naval conflict of antiquity,I have read a lot of the posts on these boards but very few touch on Romes Navy, so I thought it might be a subject that we can all discuss about! One popular ship was the Trireme meaning three, it had a basic rowing group of 3 men, each sitting at a different level using a 4M oar, the ship was 120 ft long ( 36.5 M) and at the widest point 20 ft (6M), the average crew was around 200, it is believed the Trieme averaged 4 knots but was capable of double that! A larger boat was constructed the following century, firstly by the Carthaginian Navy which was called a Quadriremes meaning four but these did not have the manovurebility of the Trireme! Many battle techniques were used in naval engagements including ramming and boarding, but a lot of the losses of man and ship was caused by bad weather. I wonder if any of these vessals still exist, it would be great to see one, I believe a re-construction was made in 1980, but alas, thats all I know! If anyone knows more about the Roman Navy, then please post as I would like to read them as I am sure others will! Regards Spartacus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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