Battle of Cape Hermaeum, 255 BC
Roman naval victory during First Punic War. News of the Roman defeat at the battle of Tunis led to the rapid formation of a large fleet, possibly of up to 350 ships, and sailed across to Africa to rescue the survivors. Carthage managed to put together a fleet of 200 ships, but after a series of defeats at sea their morale may have been poor, and when battle was joined off Cape Hermaeum, east of Carthage, the Roman fleet won another victory, allowing the successful rescue of their army. Unluckily for the rescued soldiers, the fleet was caught in a storm off the coast of Sicily, and lost as many as three quarters of its numbers.
The Punic Wars, Adrian Goldsworthy. An excellent work which covers all three Punic wars. Strong on both the land and naval elements of the wars.
How to cite this article: Rickard, J. (14 December 2001), Battle of Cape Hermaeum, 255 BC, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_hermaeum.html
