The Roman Navy: Ships, Men & Warfare 380 BC-AD 475

Description

Seaforth Publishing, 2012. — 262 p. — ISBN: 1408844362.The Roman Navy was remarkable for its size, reach and longevity. As significant as the Royal Navy was to the British Empire in the nineteenth century, the Roman Navy was crucial to the extraordinary expansion of Imperial power and for its maintenance over a period of more than 800 years. The fabric and organization of this maritime force is at the core of this new book.At the height of its power the Roman Navy was, at least in numerical terms, the largest maritime force ever to have existed. It employed tens of thousands of sailors and maintained and fought fleets of ships larger than any forces since. In these pages the author looks at all the aspects of the Navy in turn. Shipbuilding, rigs and fittings, and shipboard weaponry are covered as are all the principal ship from the earliest types to the very last. The command structure is outlined, as are all aspects of the crews' lives, their recruitment, terms of service, training and uniforms.Contents:. Preface. Intorduction. A Brief History of the Roman Navy. Chronology of Naval Affairs. The Ships. Shipbuilding. Shipboard Weapons. Types of Ship – The Republic. Types of Ship – The Empire. Command Structure. Organisation of the Fleets. The Command Structure. Shipboard and Other Ranks. The Crews. Recruitment. Terms of Service. Training. Uniforms and weapons. Service Life. Food and drink. On Board Ship. Religion and Superstition. Seamanship. Navigation. Ship Performance. Bases and Shore Establishments. Operations. Strategy and Deployment. Scouting and Intelligence. Blockades. Tactics. Battle Tactics. The Periplous Battle. The Diekplous Battle. The Influence of Topography. The Static Battle. Principal Roman Naval Actions. Allied Navies. Rhodes. Pergamum and Syracuse. Marseilles and Judaea. Enemy Navies. Carthage, Taranto, the Pirates. Hellenistic Navies. The Barbarians. Appendix Modelling Notes. Modelling Roman Ships. Modelling Techniques. Building a Quinquereme. References and Notes. Index.