Question by sinnombre2: The 20 most important naval battles in the history?
battle of the delta(1178bc)>While there is no documentation for any pursuit of the defeated Sea Peoples, who fled to the Levant, Egypt was saved from the fate of total destruction.This is the first naval battle in the history.

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 is thought possible that 200,000 sailors, soldiers and marines took part.

Cape Ecnomus, (256 BC)>. Like Salamis, Ecnomus was also a single engagement where 680 ships were fighting in a very small area. Some historians[who?] accept Roman claims that Rome had about 100,000 personnel. If this were true, which is unlikely, it would make it probable that at least 200,000 Roman and Carthaginian sailors and soldiers were involved.

Red Cliffs, (208 bc)>, the battle between Cao Cao and Sun Quan on China’s Yangtze River – the exact location is debated – during the late Han Dynasty. Cao Cao’s forces are said to have numbered 220,000–240,000 while Sun Quan’s fleet is said to have had 50,000 marines, the total claimed therefore being some 270,000 or 290,000 in all.

Actium, (31 BC)>. Battle between Mark Antony, Cleopatra and Octavian for control of the Roman world; more than 500 warships were involved

Yamen, (1279). The battle which ended the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty’s conquest of Southern Song Dynasty. It is claimed that more than 1,000 Song Dynasty warships were destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty near Yamen, Guangdong, China.

Lake Poyang, (1363)>. Claimed to be the largest battle in terms of personnel. Sailors of the Ming rebel force, said to be 200,000 strong, commanded by Zhu Yuanzhang, met a Han rebel force, claimed to be 650,000-strong, commanded by Chen Youliang, on Lake Poyang, China’s largest freshwater lake.

Lepanto, (1571). 212 Holy League galleys and galleasses against 272 or more Ottoman galleys, galliots etc (484+ total). The forces of the Holy League inflicted a crushing defeat on the Ottoman fleet. This was the last major naval battle, at least in the Western world, to be fought entirely or almost entirely between rowing vessels. Around 150,000 personnel took part in the battle. Lepanto is thought by some historians[who?] to have been the most decisive naval battle since Actium in 31 BC.The Turkish fleet lost more than 200 vessels and suffered at least 20,000 casualties.

Spanish Armada, (1588)>. In a series of engagements in the English Channel, a Spanish invasion fleet of 130 ships was driven north by English forces numbering nearly 200 ships. Rounding the British Isles into the Atlantic, the Armada was destroyed by powerful gales on its return to Spain.

the english armada (1589)>One year after the spanish armada,the queen elizabeth sent 18.000 soldiers against spain.Only 5000 came to england.Spain was the most powerful country in the sea until 1639 (battle of the downs)

Myeongnyang, (1597)>. A large Japanese assault on Admiral Yi’s remaining 13 ships. The Japanese attacked with 333, but were routed by the smaller force.

Battle of the downs(1639)>After this battle,holland was became in the first naval power in the world.

Cartagena de Indias, (1741)>. 186 British ships attacked Spanish fortifications and six warships in Cartagena de Indias (present-day Colombia), resulting in a major defeat and heavy losses for the British: 50 ships lost and 18,000 casualties. The battle is thought to be the largest military action in maritime history (in terms of tonnage) until the Battles of Normandy and Leyte Gulf surpassed it in 1944.

Battle of Chesapeake Bay (1781) – the French prevented Royal Navy from supplying Gen. Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, and 5 British ships were damaged with 336 casualties. Not a humiliating naval defeat, but the outcome was humiliating – the British army eventually surrendered because the Royal Navy failed to help them, and Britain therefore lost the war

Vyborg Bay, (1790)>. 257 Russian vs 241 Swedish sailing ships and rowing vessels (498 total) (neva.ru).

Trafalgar, (1805). A British fleet of 27 ships-of-the-line and six other vessels, commanded by Nelson, attacked and destroyed a combined French and Spanish fleet of 41 ships, including 33 ships-of-the-line, ultimately capturing 21 ships of the line and destroying another. Almost certainly the largest battle, at least until the American victory at Santiago in 1898, in terms of the damage and/or casualties inflicted by gunfire alone. One of the most decisive battles in history.

Jutland, (1916)>. The largest battle in terms tonnage of ships engaged and in terms of the total tonnage of ships involved in a single action. Possibly the largest battle-line action, in terms of numbers of ships engaged. The largest surface action and the largest ship-to-ship action, in terms of the tonnage of the ships e
Pearl Harbor, (1941). Six large Japanese aircraft carriers, the most powerful carrier force assembled up to that time, commanded by Chuichi Nagumo, made a surprise attack, with 353 aircraft in all, on the US Pacific Fleet’s base of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. 2,400 US military/naval personnel and civilians were killed and 1,280 wounded. However, this event is not usually referred to as a “battle”.

Midway, (1942). The most decisive battle of the Pacific War. Midway was a crushing defeat for the Japanese navy, reversing the course of the Pacific War.

bay of pigs invasion(1961)>The cuban army defeats the american invasion,Castro holds the presidency of the Cuban goverment and U.S. through lost his first war
Ammius

despite to the battle os sluys,england lost the war and the battle of trafalgar in my opinion is more important that the battle of nile.

You say the battle of vyborg is less important.because isn,t a english battle no?That battle became russia in a world power .

a failed English raid on Cadiz? The english armada the British navy did not have the aim of attacking cadiz,drake was wanting destroy the half of spanish ships,wean portugal of spain and conquest the azores for help the english pirates attack the spanish colonies.

If drake,s plans were completed,the spanish empire entered into a major crisis.This is a great naval battle.

Best answer:

Answer by Paul
Midway, 1942

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