On This Day In History: Battle Of Naulochus Was Fought Off The Coast Of Sicily – On Sep 3, 36 BC

MessageToEagle.com – On September 3, 36 BC, the fleets of Sextus Pompeius and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, off Naulochus, near Messina, Sicily met in the naval Battle of Naulochus.

The rebel, Sextus Pompeius was defeated by Agrippa in this sea battle off the coast of Sicily.

Octavian had three hundred ships under the command of his good friend, Marcus Agrippa and against his forces were the three hundred ships of Sextus Pompey, all lined up along the northeast
coastline of Sicily, facing north.

A great sea battle began; the port city of Naulochus, an ancient city on the north coast of Sicily, was in the background of this crucial military meeting.

Sextus had all but lost the land battle for Sicily, so his only chance for victory was to defeat Marcus Agrippa who had never fought a sea battle.

In front of Naulochus promontory, Agrippa met Sextus’ fleet. Both fleets were composed of 300 ships, all with artillery, but Agrippa commanded heavier units, armed with the harpax, a newer version of the corvus. Agrippa used his new weapon to great effect, succeeding in blocking the more maneuverable ships of Sextus and, after a long and bloody fight, in defeating his enemy.

Agrippa lost three ships, while 28 ships of Sextus were sunk, 17 fled, and the others were burnt or captured.

After seven years, Sicily was finally wrested from the control of the resourceful Sextus Pompeius, whose large navy had created many problems for the second triumvirate.

Sextus reached Messina with 7 ships and moved to Mytilene, then from there to the East, where he was defeated in 35 BC by Mark Antony. He fled to Asia Minor but was captured and executed by the Roman general Marcus Titius.

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