Battle of Cape Ecnomus

Battle of Cape Ecnomus
Part of the First Punic War
Date 256 BC Location Offshore Cape Ecnomus, in Licata, Sicily Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Carthage
Commanders and leaders
Marcus Atilius Regulus Lucius Manlius Vulso Longus	Hamilcar Hanno
Strength
About 330 ships Approx. 140,000 rowers and marines	About 350 ships In excess of 150,000 rowers and marines
Casualties and losses
24 ships sunk Approx. 10,000 men killed	30 ships sunk 65 ships captured Approx. 30,000-40,000 men killed or captured

The Battle of Cape Ecnomus or Eknomos (Ancient Greek: Ἔκνομος) (256 BC) was a naval battle, fought off Cape Ecnomus (modern day Poggio di Sant'Angelo, Licata, Sicily), between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, during the First Punic War. Due to the number of ships and crews involved (about 300 rowers and 120 combat troops per ship), this battle was one of the largest naval battles of the ancient Mediterranean world, and is a candidate for the largest naval battle in history.

Following the conquest of Agrigentum, the Roman Republic decided to build a fleet to threaten Carthage's supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. Rome's initial disadvantage in experience was compensated for by the use of the corvus in the ships' prows. The resulting series of Roman victories in naval battles such as Mylae, inspired an attempt to invade the Carthaginian lands in North Africa.

Such an operation demanded an enormous number of ships to transport the legions and their equipment to Africa. To complicate the logistical problem, Carthage's fleet was patrolling the coasts of Sicily, which forced Rome to transport its army in military vessels like triremes and quinqueremes, which had little space for cargo. Therefore, Rome built a large fleet, of about 200 ships, to make the crossing of the Mediterranean with safety. The two consuls for the year, Marcus Atilius Regulus and Lucius Manlius Vulso Longus, were given command of the fleet. But the Carthaginians were not going to let this threat pass unchallenged and launched an equally large fleet to intercept the Romans, commanded by Hanno the Great and Hamilcar the later victor of Drepanum (not to be confused with Hamilcar Barca).

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