Ancient Naval Battles

A list of ancient naval battles. In ancient warfare, the Roman Navy fought some of the greatest naval battles in history, famous to this day. Pictures included where possible. Naval battles date all the way back to at least 1260 BC. Originally fought primarily with sailing ships, today's navy battles include battleships, submarines, and aircraft carriers. That said, the tactics and decisive nature sea battles often have on warfare has gone unchanged for millennia. Beyond the oceans, maritime forces have also fought conflicts in lakes, rivers, and even on boats within a flooded Roman Colosseum. From the largest naval battle to the smallest, this list contains plenty of them.