Largest naval battle in history

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It is difficult to name the largest naval battle in history, as it depends on the criteria used. These may include the number of people and ships involved, the total tonnage of vessels, the size of the battlefield, and the duration of the action. There are three main candidates, each of which are said to have involved about 200,000 personnel: the Battle of Salamis, the Battle of Ecnomus and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

The first two occurred in the Classical Era, when ancient sources frequently exaggerated the numbers involved in warfare. This includes Herodotus, a key source for information on Salamis.^[1] Figures for Cape Ecnomus are similarly dubious. In contrast, Leyte Gulf was fought during World War II, and one side represented liberal democracies, with strong record-keeping institutions.

In pre-modern battles, large actions involved numerous small galleys, rather than larger vessels like battleships or cruisers. Two battles between the Ottoman Empire and Venice are candidates for the battle with the largest number of ships of the line. In the Action of July 8, 1716, near Corfu, 87 ships were present, although most of them did not take an active part in the fighting. The following year, 85 ships took part in the Battle of Matapan.

Several battles of the First Anglo-Dutch War (1652-1654) as well as the Battle of Beachy Head in 1690 and the Battle of La Hougue in 1692 also featured large numbers of warships on each side, possibly well over 100, depending on where you draw the line between ships of the line and frigates. Most larger fleet battles involved 20-30 battleships, as well as smaller ships, on each side.

[edit] The candidates

• The Battle of Salamis, 480 BC. 371 Greek ships defeated 1,271 Persian ships in this decisive battle. Greek triremes had a crew of about 200 while their small penteconters had 50 oarsmen. With 1,642 ships altogether, it seems that about 200,000 sailors, soldiers and marines may have taken part.

• The Battle of Cape Ecnomus, 256 BC. Like Salamis, Ecnomus was also a single engagement where 680 ships were fighting in a very small area. Some historians accept Roman claims that Rome had about 100,000 personnel. If this is true, it is probable that at least 200,000 Roman and Carthaginian sailors and soldiers were involved.

• The Battle of Leyte Gulf, 1944. The largest in terms of tonnage of ships and also in terms of the area in which the action took place. United States, British and Australian forces included 17 large aircraft carriers, 18 smaller escort carriers, 12 battleships, 24 cruisers, 141 destroyers, smaller ships, and around 1,500 planes. They won a decisive victory over Japanese forces, which consisted of four aircraft carriers, nine battleships, 19 cruisers, 34 destroyers and other ships and around 200 planes. About 200,000 personnel were involved. Leyte Gulf was also a major air battle, and saw the first use of kamikaze planes. It encompassed several distinct actions over the space of three days, linked by the strategies of the Allied and Japanese commanders.

[edit] Other large battles

• The Battle of Actium, 31 BC - Battle between Mark Antony, Cleopatra and Octavian for control of the Roman world; more than 500 warships were involved.
• The Battle of Lepanto, 1571 - 212 Holy League galleys and galleasses vs 272 or more Ottoman galleys, galliots etc. (c. 484 or more total)
• The Battle of Vyborg Bay, 1790 - 257 Russian vs 241 Swedish sailing ships and rowing vessels (498 total) [1]
• The Second Battle of Svensksund, 1790 - 196 Swedish vs 141 Russian vessels (337 total)
• The Battle of Jutland, 1916 - 151 British vs 99 German ships of the main battle fleets (250 total)
• The Battle of Lowestoft, 1665 - 109 English ships vs 103 Dutch ships (212 total)

[edit] Footnotes