Classis Syriaca

The Classis Syriaca was the Fleet of the Roman Navy in Syria. Classis means Fleet in Latin.
The Fleet was established under Vespasian (60-79 CE) and based at the port of Seleucia of Pieria, near Samandag in modern Turkey.

Little is known about the Fleet other than that it consisted of Liburnians and Triremes.
The squadron size is unknown but in general, records show that small Roman Squadrons in the Provinces seem to have consisted of between 10, 20, 40, and 60 vessels. 60 Warships was the size of the Fleet in which Pompey set sail to eliminate the nearby Pirates of Cilicia in 67 BCE, so 60 may have been the total in the Syrian Squadron.
The Commander was one of the Procuratores Sexagenarii who were paid 60,000 Sesterces per annum.
The Roman Navy was manned by sailors called ‘Classiari’ who were Peregrini from the Provinces, and not Roman Slaves or Roman Citizens. The Peregrini received Roman Citizenship after 26 years of service.
The main task of the Syrian Squadron was to supply and ferry the Legions to the Levant and the Wars in the east with Parthia.

The Navy was based at the Port of Seleucia of Pieria (modern Samandagi, Hatay in Turkey) which was connected by a Roman road to the Roman Capital of Syria at Antioch.
Roman Legions would disembark here, then march on to Antioch, before campaigning in the East against the Persian Empire.
The Port consisted of an Outer Harbour, now silted up, with two giant Moles which are still visible, and an Inner Harbour, 2,000 ft long by 1,200 ft wide, which is full of water today.
There was a Lower city and an Upper city.
The Roman Ruins of the great civic buildings are visible today, in Seleucia of Pieria.

The Titus Tunnel diverted a river that was liable to flood, away from the lower city through two tunnels, a canal and into the Outer Harbour. It was a major feat of Roman Engineering.
Vespasian began work on the Titus Tunnel, which was continued by his son Titus, (79-81 CE) and completed by Antoninus Pius (138-161 CE).
An inscription at the beginning of the tunnel shows the names of Vespasian and Titus and another inscription at the sea end displays the name of Antoninus Pius.

Seleucia Pieria