Roman Navy

The Roman Navy (Latin: Classis) operated between the First Punic war and the end of the Western Roman Empire.

History

Major events

• First Punic war
  • battle of the Lipari Islands, 260 BC
  • battle of Mylae, 260 BC
  • battle of Sulci, 258 BC, Roman victory obtained by consul Gaius Sulpicius Paterculus
  • battle of Tindarys, 257 BC
  • battle of Cape Ecnomus, 256 BC
  • battle of Drepana, 249 BC
  • battle of the Aegates Islands, 241 BC

• Second Macedonian War

• war against Antiochus III the Great
  • battle of the Eurymedon, 190 BC – Roman forces under Lucius Aemilius Regillus defeat a Seleucid fleet commanded by Hannibal, fighting his last battle.
  • battle of Myonessus, 190 BC – Another Seleucid fleet is defeated by the Romans

• battle of Naulochus, 36 BC – Octavian's fleet, under the command of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa defeats the forces of the rebel Pompey.

• battle of Actium, 31 BC

• Year of the four emperors, 69 AD – the fleet supports emperor Otho against usurper Vitellius

• battle of the Hellespont, 323 – Flavius Julius Crispus, son of Constantine defeats the naval forces of Licinius

Admirals

• Gaius Duilius, winner of the battle of Mylae (260 BC)
• Marcus Atilius Regulus, winner of the battle of Cape Ecnomus (256 BC)
• Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, winner of the battle of Actium (31 BC)
• Pliny the Elder, praefectus of Classis Misenensis (77 – 79 AD)

Roman Navy composition

Fleets

The fleet of the Roman Empire had two major bases, as well as several minor ones.
The two major fleets, which controlled the Mare Nostrum, were:

• Classis Misenensis;
• Classis Ravennatis.

Provincial fleets:

• Classis Britannica controlled the English Channel and the waters around Britannia
• Classis Germanica controlled the Rhine river, and was a fluvial fleet
• Classis Pannonica controlled the Danibe river, and was a fluvial fleet
• Classis Moesica controlled the western Black sea
• Classis Pontica controlled the southern Black sea
• Classis Syriaca controlled the eastern Mediterranean sea
• Classis Alexandrina controlled the eastern Mediterranean sea
• Classis Mauretania controlled the African coasts of western Mediterranean sea

Classis Misenensis

It was based in Misenum since 27 BC. Classis Misenensis, later Classi Praetoria Misenensis, was to control in the western part of the Mediterranean sea. In 330 her ships were moved to Constantinople, when emperor Constantine moved there the capital of the Roman Empire.

Classis Misenensis was formed, among the others, by the following ships (see [1]):

• 1 esareme: Ops

• 1 quinqueremes: Victoria

• 9 quadriremes: Fides, Vesta, Venus, Minerva, Dacicus, Fortuna, Annona, Libertas, Olivus

• 50 triremes: Concordia, Spes, Mercurius, Iuno, Neptunus, Asclepius, Hercules, Lucifer, Diana, Apollo, Venus, Perseus, Salus, Athenonix, Satyra, Rhenus, Libertas, Tigris, Oceanus, Cupidus, Victoria, Taurus, Augustus, Minerva, Particus, Eufrates, Vesta, Aesculapius, Pietas, Fides, Danubius, Ceres, Tibur, Pollux, Mars, Salvia, Triunphus, Aquila, Liberus Pater, Nilus, Caprus, Sol, Isis, Providentia, Fortuna, Iuppiter, Virtus, Castor

• 11 liburnians: Aquila, Agathopus, Fides, Aesculapius, Iustitia, Virtus, Taurus Ruber, Nereis, Clementia, Armata, Minerva

Classis Ravennatis

Based in Ravenna since 27 BC, Classis Ravennatis was to control the eastern part of the Mediterranean sea. In 330 her ships were moved to Constantinople.

Classis Britannica

Based since 43 AD in Portus Itius (Boulogne-sur-Mer, called also Gesoriacum or Bononia), Gallia, and since 296 in Rutupiae (Richborough), Britannia, Classis Britannica was to control the English Channel and the waters around the Roman province of Britannia.

Classis Germanica

Based since 12 BC in Castra Vetera (Germania Inferior), it controlled Rhine river as well as the North Sea. After 50 AD it moved its main base in Colonia Agrippinensis (Germania).

Classis Pannonica

Based since 35 BC in Aquincum (Pannonia, modern Budapest), it controlled the Danube from Castra Regina (Raetia, modern Regensburg) to Singidunum (Moesia, modern Beograd). It was re-organized under the Flavian dynasty, when it was renamed Classis Flavia Pannonica.

Classis Pontica

Operative since 14 BC, and based since 54/60 AD in Trapezus (Pontus), this classis was to guard Southern and Eastern Black sea.

Classis Syriaca

Operative since 63 BC, and based since 70 in Seleucia Pieriae (Syria), it controlled Western Mediterranean sea and Aegean sea.

Classis Alexandrina

Based in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Aegyptus, Classis Alexandrina controlled the eastern part of the Mediterraneas sea. It was built by Caesar Augustus around 30 BC, and probably fought the battle of Actium. Having supported emperor Vespasian in the civil war, it was awarded of the cognomen Augusta, thus being called Classis Augusta Alexandrina.

Ports

Major Roman ports were:

• Misenum
• Classis port, near Ravenna
• Alexandria
• Leptis Magna
• Ostia

External links

• UNRV

Roman fleets

• List of Roman fleets (Italian)
• The Imperial fleet of Misenum (Italian)
• The Classis Britannica

Roman ships

• Roman Galeons
• Galleria Navale on Navigare Necesse Est
• Port of Claudius, the museum of Roman merchant ships found in Fiumicino (Rome)
• The Roman ships of Pisa, the official site for the ships found in Pisa (Italy)
• Diana Nemorensis, Caligula's ships in the lake of Nemi.