Roman Navy

[Gaius Octavius]

After the Punic Wars, I don't belive that much was heard about the navy in fleet actions. Not counting pirates, were there any battles aside from Actium?

[Tobias]

There are a few battles here and there; there was the Battle of Tenedos, in 86 B.C. in the 1st Mithridatic War. A Roman fleet, commanded by Lucius Licinius Lucullus defeated a Pontic fleet off the island of Tenedos in the Aegean.

 

In Caesar's "De Bello Gallico", he gives an account of his campaigns against the Veneti, which involved some rather interesting sea battles.

 

We also have the Battle of Naulochus, in the time of the civil war between the Second Triumvirate and the remaining Pompeians, in 36 B.C. The battle was between the fleets of Sextus Pompeius and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, off Cape Naulochus in Sicily. Agrippa won the battle, and Pompeian resistance effectively died.

 

Another civil war sea battle I found was fought quite a while after the above; it was the Battle of the Hellespont; a battle between Flavius Julius Crispus, son of Constantine the Great, and Flavius Galerius Valerius Licinianus Licinius in 324 A.D . Despite Crispus' fleet being quite outnumbered by Licinius' fleet, Crispus defeated Licinius, and Licinius was forced to flee to Anatolia, where he was defeated and captured by Constantine.

 

After the Punic Wars, there were no real sea powers capable of resisting Rome's naval power for a long time; thus the majority of significant sea battles were during civil wars.

Edited July 16, 2006 by Tobias

[Gaius Octavius]

I believe that during and after the Punic wars, the Roman ships had a 'corvus' and a bow ram and that in the Byzantine period they had 'Greek fire'. Marines aside, what other armaments did these ships carry? How differently were the marines armed from the infantry?

[Pantagathus]

Marines aside, what other armaments did these ships carry?

There is frequent mention of the stores of 'missles' so I believe there would have been a type of scorpio or 'onager' ( ) on the deck.

 

How differently were the marines armed from the infantry?

 

They wore bathing suits...

 

Seriously not much different but lighter. I'll dig out L.Casson and double check as I believe he has a small chapter about the marines.

[Gaius Octavius]

I am pretty sure that they didn't do double duty as rowers, so where did they sleep on the ships?

[Pantagathus]

The general answer is that 'nobody' slept on a warship, they were beached or ported at night (see my reply in Pertinax's latest book review thread)

 

During the period of the height of their naval engagements, the marines would be on the fighting deck which was raised above the top back of rowers (cataphract).

[Pertinax]

Pantagathus is correct, the main thing to remember seems to be that ancient ships were "scrambled" like jet fighters (as an analogy) and kept high and dry otherwise.

[Gaius Octavius]

I don't think that they always hugged the coasts, so what kind of navigational equipment did they have?

[Pantagathus]

I don't think that they always hugged the coasts, so what kind of navigational equipment did they have?

 

Warships generally did hug the coasts. Merchantmen of course did not. For night travel, the trusty stars did nicely. For daylight: the sun, flight of birds, swell directions and of course the gnomon.

[Neos Dionysos]

After the Punic Wars, I don't belive that much was heard about the navy in fleet actions. Not counting pirates, were there any battles aside from Actium?

 

The Fleet also became quite important in the 5th century when the Vandals amassed a great fleet after taking Carthage and North Africa from Rome. IIRC, there were at least two crucial naval engagements, one being a Roman victory and the second a Roman loss.

[Gaius Octavius]

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Warships generally did hug the coasts. Merchantmen of course did not. For night travel, the trusty stars did nicely. For daylight: the sun, flight of birds, swell directions and of course the gnomon.

 

Then they must have had reasonably good charts, as opposed to the road maps, which were point-to-point, i.e., a straight line, as I recall. Why wouldn't this have been translated into the road maps?

[Pantagathus]

Then they must have had reasonably good charts, as opposed to the road maps, which were point-to-point, i.e., a straight line, as I recall. Why wouldn't this have been translated into the road maps?

 

No not really... They were often in the form of a narrative 'periplus' which would have had a lot of point to point descriptions. Not really maps or charts.

[Neos Dionysos]

Then they must have had reasonably good charts, as opposed to the road maps, which were point-to-point, i.e., a straight line, as I recall. Why wouldn't this have been translated into the road maps?

 

No not really... They were often in the form of a narrative 'periplus' which would have had a lot of point to point descriptions. Not really maps or charts.

 

In other words, more like a merchant or fleet sailing and they see a particular bluff... point one, and then if they sail north-east, they run into an island... point two, and repeat correct?

[Pantagathus]

In other words, more like a merchant or fleet sailing and they see a particular bluff... point one, and then if they sail north-east, they run into an island... point two, and repeat correct?

 

Yep, thats it!