exact form is still a matter of some conjecture. We do know, however, from the evidence of contemporary historians, that the Athenian trireme was essentially a 'naval' vessel. The idea of a craft primarily destined to enable soldiers to fight each other on the water was gradually lost in the idea of a ship especially designed to fight and destroy other ships. This object was sought and secured chiefly by speed and handiness, and to obtain these qualities the military element on board was considerably reduced and lightness of construction gone in for. What may be described as the 'heavy and clumsy battleship idea' was abandoned in favour of the 'cruiser idea,' 'the light swift craft able to strike sudden blows.' The crews of the Athenian warships were principally 'sailors' in the narrow meaning of the term. After a career of considerable success[1] the Athenian navy vanished before the heavier 'battleship-craft' of the Syracusans and Peloponnesians.
When Carthaginian Sea Power became predominant in the Western Mediterranean the cruiser idea had, however, again worked itself into favour, The Carthaginian sailor was a 'seaman' rather than a 'soldier at sea.' Sea aptitude was his main characteristic and if hand-to-hand fighting were not lost sight of, it certainly did not occupy the sole prominent position.
This navy was annihilated by the Roman soldiers at sea, by craft that essentially embodied the battleship
- ↑ See chapter of 'The Peloponnesian War.'
