How were Triremes used in battle?
2 min read
Asked by: Dre Ashton
A Trireme is an ancient oar-driven warship powered by about 170 oarsmen. It was long and slender, had three tiers of oars and one sail. On the bow was a battering ram that was used to destroy enemy ships. The tip of the ram was made of bronze and could easily slice through the side of a wooden ship.
What was the strategy of the triremes during a battle?
The principal strategy in battle of the trireme was to sink or damage the oars of an enemy vessel using the bronze ram fixed to the ship’s prow. Triremes were used throughout antiquity and used most famously in the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE when the allied Greek fleet defeated that of Persian king Xerxes.
What did triremes do?
The Athenian navy employed an innovative ship design called the Trireme. Built for speed and agility and designed as an offensive weapon, the trireme allowed the ancient Greeks to destroy most of the Persian fleet and stop the western advance of the imperial Persian king.
What made the trireme warship so impressive?
The ship was long and slender, enabling it to reach astonishing ramming speeds of 10 knots. The oarsmen sat on three benches that were located above each other. These benches sloped so as to ensure a maximum number of rowers could fit into the slender boat.
Why was the battleship of the time called a trireme?
Rowing Arrangement
The trireme was so-called because of the arrangement of rowers in three lines down the length of each side of the ship.
Did the Romans use triremes?
A trireme (/ˈtraɪriːm/ TRY-reem; derived from Latin: trirēmis “with three banks of oars”; ‘triērēs, literally “three-rower”) was an ancient vessel and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean Sea, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans.
What is the definition of triremes?
Definition of trireme
: an ancient galley having three banks of oars.
How long were triremes used?
While well-maintained triremes would last up to 25 years, during the Peloponnesian War, Athens had to build nearly 20 triremes a year to maintain their fleet of 300.
