Battle of Naulochus

Infobox Military Conflict


caption=
conflict=Battle of Naulochus
partof=the Roman Republican civil wars
date=September 3 36 BC
place=off Naulochus, Sicily
result=Octavian victory
combatant1=Pompeians
combatant2=Octavian
commander1=Sextus Pompeius
commander2=Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
strength1=300 ships
strength2=300 ships
casualties1=28 ships sunk, 17 fled, the others captured
casualties2=3 ships

The naval Battle of Naulochus was fought on 3 September 36 BC between the fleets of Sextus Pompeius and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, off Naulochus, Sicily. The victory of Agrippa, admiral of Octavian, marked the end of the Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate.

Background

After the strengthening of the bond between Octavian and Mark Anthony, with the pact of Brundisium, the two triumvirs were to manage the menace of Sextus Pompey, son of Pompey. Sextus had occupied the province of Sicily, which provided much of Rome's grain supply. When Sextus had managed to bring Rome to famine, in 39 BC, Octavian and Anthony sought an alliance with Sextus, appointing him governor of Sicily, Sardinia, and Peloponnesus for five years (treaty of Misenum). The alliance was short lived, and Sextus cut the grain supply to Rome. Octavian tried to invade Sicily in 38 BC, but the ships were forced to go back because of bad weather.

Agrippa cut part of Via Ercolana and dug a channel to connect Lucrinus Lake to the sea, in order to change it into an harbour, called Iulius. The new harbour was used to train the ships for naval battles. A new fleet was built, with 20,000 oarsmen gathered by freeing slaves. The new ships were built much larger, in order to carry many more navy infantry units, which were being trained at the same time. Furthermore, Anthony exchanged 20,000 infantry for his Parthian campaign with 120 ships, under the command of Titus Statilius Taurus. In July 36 BC the two fleets sailed from Italy, and another fleet, provided by the third triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, sailed from Africa, to attack Sextus' stronghold in Sicily.

In August Agrippa was able to finally defeat Sextus in a naval battle near Mile (modern Milazzo); the same month Octavian was defeated and seriously wounded in a battle near Taormina.

The battle

In front of Naulochus promontory, Agrippa met Sextus' fleet. Both fleets were composed by 300 ships, all with artilliery, but Agrippa commanded heavier units, armed with "arpax", an evolution of "corvus". Agrippa used well his new weapon, succeeding in blocking the more maneouvrable ships of Sextus and, after a long and bloody fight, to defeat his enemy.

Agrippa lost three ships, while 28 ships of Sextus were sunk, 17 fled, and the others burnt or captured.

Aftermath

After seven years Sicily was finally wrestled from the control of the surprisingly resourceful Sextus, whose large navy had created many problems for the second triumvirate.

Sextus reached Messana, then, with 7 ships, moved to Mitilene and from there to the East, where he was defeated in 35 BC by Anthony.

Octavian and Lepidus defeated the last Pompeian resistance in Sicily. Later after a good amount of intrigue Octavian was able to shrewdly strip Lepidus of his political and military power and become the sole ruler of the west.

Further reading

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Appian/Civil_Wars/5*.html