Greco-Persian Navy War

During the Greco- Persian war (500 B. C. 449 B. C), many strifes took place in this bloody war. engagework forcets were fought on land and at sea. Sea battles played a major social function during the war. The Athenian Fleet was among the most sophisticated and sizable navies to date that time. The Persian Armada seemed unbeatable with its vast turn of ships and soldiers. The Athenian Navy had a higher(prenominal) kill balance than the massive Persian Fleet. The Persians and the Athenians both used that selfsame(prenominal) type of ship for sea battles, the trireme. A trireme was warship used in ancient civilizations.They were wooden ships powered by mostly workforce with oars. The strucural virtue of these ships was remarkable. The average trireme with a length of 120 ft. could hold about 40 tons. These ships weighed about 2,200 pounds. The hull was composed of small yet dense planks held unneurotic by interlinking edges. Due to their inovative design these watercrafts w ere able to reach conduce speed reaching almost 10 mph. In the front of the vessel was the primary armament of the ship, the bronze battering ram. The secondary armament include spearmen and bowmen. The two main tactics of naval warfare during ancient clock were boarding or ramming.When boarding, the oarsmen on one boat would board the opponent boat and fight to the death. When raming, you would manuever around enemy and strike the enemy ships from the location in order to sink their ships. The Athenian generals were highly effective with their tactics. The Battle of Salamis Like the Battle of Thermopylae, the Greeks were largely outnumbered in the Battle of Salamis. They faced an irresistibly large number of Persian ships. The Athenian Fleet Force include 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 f leet. 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 buddy Ariabignes. Artemisia was the solely 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 valued to end the triumph of Greece in a single military campaign.The Persians were better 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 defend 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 wo uld no longer be a variable. Themistocles sailed his navy to the narrow flip 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 prosper after 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 wonder among the Persian ships. Confused 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 loss her men to die in battle. The Persians quickly retreated to avoid supercharge losses. Xerxes was furius upset at the astonishingly incomprehensible loss of his massive fleet. later on the battle he said my men have become women, 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 now 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.