Battle of Mylae

Battle of Mylae, strategic sea battle of 260 bc, fought in the first of the Punic Wars. In this battle, the first large naval fleet ever built by the Romans engaged a Carthaginian squadron at Mylae (modern Milazzo), a seaport of northern Sicily. Under the command of the Roman consul Gaius Duilius, the Roman fleet defeated the superior Carthaginian force by bold tactics involving the use of grappling hooks and the boarding of enemy vessels. The victory gave Rome sufficient control of the seas to land a force on Corsica and expel the Carthaginians from that island.