The Greatest Naval Battles in History: a guide

Command of the sea has decided the fate of empires as surely as any land campaign. From the oar-driven triremes that met in the narrows off Athens to the aircraft carriers that fought a battle over the horizon in the Pacific, these are seven sea battles that changed history. Each one has its full story a click away.

Salamis, 480 BC. In the narrow straits the Greek triremes turned the vast Persian fleet's numbers against it and saved Greece from conquest.

Reconstructed Greek trireme Olympias in a museum shelter — Olympias, a full-size reconstruction of an Athenian trireme completed in 1987, now displayed at Palaio Faliro near Athens. Oared warships of this kind fought at Salamis. Public domain

Actium, 31 BC. Off the coast of Greece, Octavian's admiral Agrippa broke the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra, and the Roman Empire was born from the wreckage.

Lepanto, 1571. The Holy League smashed the Ottoman fleet in the last great battle of oar-driven galleys, a turning point for the Mediterranean.

Late 16th century painting of galley fleets clashing at Lepanto — The Battle of Lepanto, 7 October 1571, painted by an unidentified artist in the late 16th century, with the galley fleets locked together. National Maritime Museum, London. Public domain

Trafalgar, 1805. Nelson broke the combined French and Spanish fleet and lost his life in the hour of victory, winning Britain command of the seas for a century.

Tsushima, 1905. Admiral Togo's Japanese fleet annihilated the Russian Baltic Fleet, which had sailed some 18,000 miles over seven months to reach the war, in one of the most decisive naval battles ever fought. It forced Russia to make peace and announced Japan as a modern great power.

Admiral Togo and his officers on the bridge of the battleship Mikasa — Admiral Togo Heihachiro on the bridge of his flagship Mikasa at Tsushima, painted by Tojo Shotaro in 1906. Public domain

Midway, 1942. American carrier aircraft sank four Japanese carriers, three of them in a matter of minutes, the turning point of the Pacific war.

Leyte Gulf, 1944. Generally regarded as the largest naval battle in history, fought from 23 to 26 October 1944 in the waters around the Philippines. Japan gambled almost its entire remaining fleet to stop the American landings and lost, and the Imperial Japanese Navy was broken as a fighting force.

Map of fleet movements around the Philippines in the Battle of Leyte Gulf — US Army map of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, October 1944, tracing the Japanese Northern, Central and Southern Forces and the American Third and Seventh Fleets around the Philippines. Public domain

See these battles set beside every other kind of warfare in the greatest battles of all time and Battles That Changed the World, or read which cost the most lives in the deadliest battles in history.

How sea battles decided the fate of empires

Command of the sea has toppled empires as surely as any land campaign. From the oared triremes of Salamis to the aircraft carriers of Midway and Leyte Gulf, naval battles decided who could trade, invade and survive. The tools changed utterly across 2,400 years, but the prize, control of the water, never did.

Read each battle in full below, or see them beside war on land in the greatest battles of all time.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous naval battle in history?

Trafalgar in 1805, where Nelson destroyed the combined French and Spanish fleet without losing a single British ship, is among the most famous naval battles ever fought. Salamis in 480 BC, which saved Greece from Persia, is its ancient counterpart.

Which naval battle changed history the most?

Salamis in 480 BC turned back the Persian invasion and shaped the future of the West, while Midway in 1942 broke Japanese naval power in a single morning and turned the Pacific war. Both are turning points on the largest scale.

What was the last great battle of oar-driven galleys?

Lepanto in 1571, where the Holy League shattered the Ottoman fleet, is remembered as the last great galley battle, the close of an age of war fought by ships driven by oars.

Which naval battle gave Britain command of the seas?

Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson's victory ended the threat of invasion and gave the Royal Navy a dominance at sea that lasted for roughly a century.

How did naval warfare change over time?

From ramming and boarding with oared galleys, to broadside duels between sailing ships of the line, to carrier battles fought by aircraft far over the horizon at Midway.

What was a ship of the line?

A large sailing warship built to fight in the line of battle, firing broadsides from rows of cannon. Nelson's victories at the Nile and Trafalgar were won with them.

Why was Tsushima so decisive?

In May 1905 Admiral Togo's fleet destroyed the Russian Baltic Fleet, which had sailed some 18,000 miles to reach the war; most Russian ships were sunk or captured. Russia was forced to make peace, and Japan emerged as a modern great power. Read the full story of Tsushima.

What was the largest naval battle in history?

The Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought from 23 to 26 October 1944 around the Philippines, is generally regarded as the largest naval battle ever fought. Read the full story of Leyte Gulf.

How sea battles decided the fate of empires

Frequently asked questions

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