Battle of Aegates : The Battle which ended the war (First Punic War)

The Battle of Aegates (241 BC) was the last and final battle of First Punic War (264-241 BC). This battle ended that twenty four years long war between Rome and Carthage. Rome got the victory it needed after losing at Battle of Drepana. Roman navy got back its foothold through the victory of this battle. Carthage tried its best to stop the rise of Rome as a naval power but lack of planning and determination paid at last. We may call the result of this war as the first sign of Roman Empire.

Battle of Aegates (First Punic War)

Prelude : 

After the crushing defeat in Battle of Drepana (249 BC) Roman hard earned naval supremacy over Carthage was shattered. Carthage almost destroyed the Roman fleet and controlled the water. The defeat was so devastating for Romans that they needed seven years to build another fleet. On the Carthaginians part they utilised the victory very well for first few years and controlled the Sicilian water and even raided Italian coast. But sometimes lack of competition resulted in foolish notions and that affected the future. That happened here also. After threat from roman navy was gone Carthage went for cost cutting and they began it with disbanding their fleets because maintaining a big fleet was costly and when no threats existed why should they spend the money on it. That was the dumbest move of Carthage throughout the war. Hannibal Barca's father Hamilcar Barca was commanding the Carthaginian army in Sicily and the situation was not good for Carthage because after the victory of Drepana Carthage shifted its focus to north Africa and ignored Sicily. Hamilcar's army was comparatively small and the lack of Carthaginian ships in Sicilian water made it harder for him. Absence of Carthaginian ships in Sicilian water encouraged Romans to build another fleet. Rome saw their chance and started building their fleet after seven years. The roman citizens paid the price of that fleet because the long war strained roman government. They soon built a fleet of 200 ships and handed over to consul Gaius Lutatius Catulus. The roman fleet sailed for Sicily in 242 BC under command of consul Catulus and praetor Quintus Valerius Falto as second in command. They reached Sicily and started blockading the the Carthaginian foothold Drepna and Lilybaeum unchallenged because no Carthaginian ships were present there. Hammilcar was at Eryx at the time of blockade. The roman plan was to cut Hammilcar's supply and communication with Carthage and they succeeded in it. Soon the situation worsened in Sicily for carthage and they were in hurry to build a fleet. It took them nine months to build a fleet of 250 warships and it was sent to break the blockade under command of Hanno. Though the fleet had more warships than its roman counterpart but it lacked the training and crew because of that haste. The Carthaginian fleet was poorly trained, undermanned and under the command of the general who already lost two crucial battles against Romans in Agrigentum and Cape Ecnomus. So, we can understand the fate of the upcoming battle was already sealed.

Battle of Aegates

Navies :       

The roman fleet was consisted of 200 quinqueremes and marines under consul Gaius Lutatius Catulus and praetor Quintus Valerius Falto. The Carthaginian fleet had 250 warships but the crew and marines were undermanned (An exact figure was not available) under Hanno. 

The Battle :

Roman scouts spotted the approaching Carthaginian fleet. After receiving the news Catulus ordered his fleet to break the blockade and meet the Carthaginians. The wind was blowing in opposite direction of the roman fleet and they already suffered heavy loss in Drepana because of weather. Well that also taught them an important lesson. This time they abandoned the Corvus (The boarding device) for better balance and focused on the training and maneuverability mostly. So, Catulus ordered to strip the ships of mast, sails and other extra weights to make those lighter and more maneuverable. Though Catulus himself couldn't able to lead the fleet because he was injured at that time. So, Falto led the fleet in the battle. The untrained and undermanned Carthaginian fleet was no match for the roman lighter and maneuverable ships in battle. Though they have favourable wind but roman training and innovative idea of their leaders won the battle. Roman ships continuously ramming the Carthaginian ships and after losing more than half of their fleet they gave up and fled. It was a stunning and decisive victory for Rome.

The remains of Battle of Aegate

Casualties :     

The Romans lost 30 ships and another 50 got damaged in the battle. The loss of human lives were uncertain while Carthage lost total 120 ships. 50 of those were sunk and 70 were captured. Around 5000 to 10000 men were captured. 

Aftermath : 

The battle ended the war in favour of Rome. The Carthaginians forced to sue for peace and gave up their Sicilian footholds to Romans. They also paid a heavy war indemnity. Hamilcar didn't surrender to Romans and sent his subordinate Gisco for that formality. Though Sardinia and some small islands left in Carthaginian hands as per the treaty but the balance of power in Mediterranean was shifted from Carthage to Rome. After this war Rome became a strong naval power. The war became the stepping stone for its future empire.