Battle of Cape Ecnomus

The Battle of Ecnomus (256 BCE) took place near Licata in Sicily and was a Naval war fought between Rome and Carthage during the First Punic War (264-241 BCE).
It was one of the largest Naval Battles of the Ancient World with at least 680 vessels involved. The Carthaginians lost the battle.

A Fleet of 330 Roman vessels carrying the Corvus accompanied by 26,000 legionaries, set sail from Ostia accompanied by a fleet of transport ships and headed towards Africa.
When the Carthaginians heard of this force they assembled a Fleet of 350 warships and intercepted the Roman Fleet off the coast of Sicily.

The Romans were sailing west in a highly organised and compact group of 4 squadrons sailing in an east to west direction.
The Carthaginians opposed them with 3 squadrons blocking them in a line from north to south.
The Carthaginian centre appeared to yield, encouraging the first two Roman squadrons to pursue them, which succeeded in separating them from the rear two squadrons and their transports.
The two flanking Carthaginian squadrons then broke off and each pursued a rear Roman squadron.

One of the rear Roman squadrons quickly rowed to the Sicilian coast, pointed their sterns against the beach and kept their bows together with the Corvus ready to trap any advancing Carthaginian galley. This resulted in a stalemate.
The second rear Roman squadron was in open water and had difficulty defending itself.
Meanwhile, the two front Roman squadrons had successfully engaged the Carthaginian centre squadron and forced it to break away and disperse. They then turned back to help their two fellow beleaguered squadrons.
Each Roman squadron arrived behind one of the two attacking Carthaginian squadrons.
One Carthaginian squadron left the battle, and the attacking Roman squadron then turned north to help crush the remaining Carthaginian squadron against the Sicilian coast.
The result was a massive Roman victory with a loss of only 24 vessels compared to the Carthaginian loss of 30 vessels sunk and 64 captured. The Carthaginians lost 30,000 men compared to the Roman loss of 10,000 men.

Regulus then landed the Roman Fleet unopposed at Aspis (Kelibia). Hamilcar left Sicily with 5,500 soldiers to reinforce the Carthaginian Army, but Regulus’ successful campaigns led eventually to the Carthaginians offering a Peace Treaty.
When Regulus tried to impose harsh terms, the Carthaginians went to war again almost defeating Regulus and a Roman Fleet was sent to withdraw Regulus from Africa.
The Carthaginian Fleet opposed this Roman Fleet at the Battle of Cape Hermaeum in 255 BCE but was completely defeated, losing 114 vessels.
A storm then devastated the returning Roman Fleet with the loss of 384 vessels and 100,000 men.

Cape Ecnomus, near Licata, Sicily