- The Battle of Mylae (Milazzo) was the first victory of the new Roman Navy created in 261 BCE during the First Punic War (264-241 BCE).
- It is notable for its introduction of a Boarding device known as the Corvus.
Tactics
- Galley Tactics consisted of Ramming and sinking the enemy vessel.
- After the earlier disaster of the Battle of the Lipari Islands in 260 BCE, where 17 Roman galleys were captured by 20 Carthaginian galleys, the Romans decided on a Tactic of Boarding.
The Corvus
- The Corvus was invented to rapidly place a boarding party of marines onto an enemy vessel.
- The Corvus was a heavy gangplank with a spike positioned in the ship’s prow in a raised position. When it was dropped on the enemy’s deck, the two galleys were locked together allowing the marines to board and overpower the enemy vessel.
Mylae, Sicily
- Using this device, the two Fleets met at Mylae, Sicily, and the Romans succeeded in overwhelming the Carthaginian Fleet which was forced to withdraw.
- An Inscription on a victory column in honour of the Consul Duilius states that 31 ships were captured and 13 sunk. The inscription is now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome.
The Outcome
- The new Roman Navy had made Rome a Sea Power.
- In 258 BCE the Roman Fleet went on to win another victory over the Carthaginian Fleet at the Battle of Sulci off Sardinia.
Mylae or Milazzo, Sicily