Greco-Persian Navy War

During the Greco- Iranian war (500 B. C. 449 B. C), many battles took place in this bloody war. Battles were fought on territory and at ocean. Sea battles played a major role during the war. The Athenian Fleet was among the most sophisticated and powerful navies to date that time. The Persian Armada seemed unbeat adequate to(p) with its huge number of ships and soldiers. The Athenian Navy had a higher kill ratio than the massive Persian Fleet. The Persians and the Athenians both used that same type of ship for sea battles, the trireme. A trireme was warship used in ancient civilizations.They were wooden ships powered by mostly custody with oars. The strucural integrity of these ships was remarkable. The average trireme with a length of long hundred ft. could hold about 40 tons. These ships weighed about 2,200 pounds. The hull was composed of small yet dense planks held together by interlinking edges. Due to their inovative design these vessels were able to reach top speed reachin g almost 10 mph. In the front of the vessel was the primary army of the ship, the bronze battering ram. The secondary armament included spearmen and bowmen. The two main tactics of naval warfare during ancient times were boarding or ramming.When boarding, the oarsmen on one boat would board the oppositeness boat and fight to the death. When raming, you would manuever around enemy and strike the enemy ships from the side in order to sink their ships. The Athenian generals were highly effective with their tactics. The Battle of Salamis give care the Battle of Thermopylae, the Greeks were largely outnumbered in the Battle of Salamis. They faced an overwhelmingly large number of Persian ships. The Athenian Fleet Force included according to Herodotus, 366 triremes. The Persian Armada however, included 1,207 triremes. The Athenians were facing a seemingly unstopable force.However, in middle 480 B. C, a storm arose and destroyed one third of Dariuss fleet. The Greeks had two commnaders, Themistocles of Athens and Eurybiades of Sparta. The commanders of the Persian Fleet were Xerxes of Persia, Artemisia of Caria, and Xerxess brother Ariabignes. Artemisia was the only commander in Xerxess force to be female. Xerxess brother Ariabignes perished in the Battle of Salamis. The Persians primary tactic for this battle was to overwhelm the Athenian Navy with their massive armada. Xerxes wanted to end the conquest of Greece in a single military campaign.The Persians were break sailors they had experienced men and ships that had fought before. The Greeks had unexperienced sailors and new ships. Statisticaly speaking, in an open sea battle, the overwhelming number of Persian ships and experienced sailors should unquestionably defeat the Athenian Navy. The Greeks without many choices had to plump for the Island of Salamis. If the Greeks wanted any chance in winning, they would have to bring the Persians someplace where the number of ships would no longer be a variable. Themi stocles sailed his navy to the narrow drumhead of Salamis in order to constrict Xerxess fleet.Once they came through the narrow path, the Spartan Navy began attacking along with the Athenians. The battle was brutal and long. Persians sent wave later on wave of triremes to devastate the Greeks. Their efforts were futile for the Greeks had a better tactical position, which was to defend the coast. Persian admiral Ariabignes had died early in the battle. This caused much perplexity among the Persian ships. disconnected and without their admiral, their strategy began to fall apart. Artemisia, realizing defeat was imminent, attacked a Persian trireme to trick the Greeks into thinking she was an ally so she could flee.She succesfuly escaped with the conscience of leaving her men to die in battle. The Persians quickly retreated to avoid further losses. Xerxes was furius upset at the astonishingly incomprehensible loss of his massive fleet. After the battle he said my men have become wom en, and my women men. This Greek victory played a major role in the winning of the war. The battle of Salamis also gave prestige to Athenians and their allies. They direct had the most powerful navy in the World. Their navys kill/death ratio had rissen by 480% they were precise, efficient, and above all lethal.