In the First Punic War, all warships were wooden, oared galleys. The standard tactic was called the diekplus (“break through”). Fleets advanced line abreast (the galleys would approach in a side by side line). A few of the galleys would attempt to speed through a gap in the enemy line and then ram from behind. This would cause disorder and the two fleets were now in a melee. During this stage of the battle, ships maneuvered to get into position to strike an enemy ship’s stern. While not in the process of ramming, the galleys used their deck armament. This usually included catapults that hurled stones and ballistae that fired large arrows. Both were used to clear an enemy’s deck. Most ships carried archers for the same purpose and to stop boarders.
A well-run ship could shear off an enemy’s oars as it passed by. Better yet, shear off the oars while slicing a gash in the galley with the ram. You did not want to ram straight into the side of a ship because the ram could get stuck. If the other ship sank, you would go with it. Shearing off a victim’s oars would disable it and then you could attack its stern. The stern was the most vulnerable part of a galley because that is where the steering oars were located. An alternative tactic was the periplous (“sailing around”). This called for some or all of the fleet to sail around the flank of an enemy fleet to ram from the side or behind. This tactic was more rare because since fleets tried to stay within sight of land, the enemy fleet might have one of its wings hugging the shore so it could only be flanked to seaward.
There was no way the Romans could match the Carthaginian dexterity at these challenging tactics. This would take some brainstorming. Some unknown Roman made the comment “if only we could fight land battles on the sea.” As he was being pelted by balled up papyrus, another creative thinker made the leap to “why not?” Out of this brainstorming came one of the greatest secret weapons in history. The corvus (“raven” in Latin; it was called this due to its pecking motion on choppy seas) was a boarding bridge. It was a 15 – 35-foot-long plank attached to a post on the bow of a five. Polybius described it:
They erected on the prow of every vessel a round pillar of wood, of about twelve feet in height, and of three palms breadth in diameter, with a pulley at the top. To this pillar was fitted a kind of stage, eighteen feet in length, and four feet broad, which was made of ladderways, of strong timbers laid across, and cramped together with iron; the pillar being received into an oblong square, which was opened for that purpose, at the distance of six feet within the end of the stage.
The plank could be rotated to starboard or port depending on where the intended victim was. Once the Roman ship was alongside the enemy, the plank was dropped on the deck of the ship. It had a spike (the beak of the raven) on its underside that would stick in the deck of the enemy ship, thus attaching them. History does not record the inventor of this ingenious device. If you want to believe it was Archimedes, be my guest.
The Punic five could no longer use its much better maneuverability to row rings around the Romans. The corvus would serve as a bridge for Roman marines (legionaries asea) to run onto the trapped ship. These would be men armed and armored as if they were fighting a land battle. (Better not fall while crossing that bridge!) Imagine pulling alongside a fishing competitor’s boat and tossing a beehive onto it. The Carthaginian oarsmen were unarmed and naked. (Nudity made for slightly more comfortable rowing in the stifling heat below deck.) It was not exactly a fair fight. Blood would cover the decks. Boarding was not new to naval warfare, but the boarders were lightly armed crewmen. Think pirates. The Carthaginians were not prepared for heavy infantry coming aboard.
- from The Scipios in Spain
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