Admiral Phormion. Seamanship and coolness under pressure

Greek ship’s ram. Kanellopoulou Museum copyright: S. Skarmintzos

In the winter of 429 BC, the Athenians sent Phormion with 20 triremes to Nafpaktos where they had settled Messenian exiles and intended to close the Corinthian gulf to the Corinthians and destroy their trade so that they would abandon their war efforts. The Spartans, on the contrary, sought first to neutralize the allies of the Athenians so that, after securing Western Greece, they could bring the war to the Aegean. For this they gathered in Patras a fleet from the Corinthian Lefkadian and their Elian allies (47 ships) under the Spartan leader Agatharcidas. Several of the ships were troopcarriers.

Agatharchidas, who probably had no naval experience and was worried about the troopships instead of taking advantage of his numerical superiority, tried to copy the defensive circle that the Greeks had implemented against the Persians at Artemisium. Phormion, who had become familiar with the currents and winds of the region, entangled the circle of the Peloponnesians, who reacted by shrinking it. Eventually their oars became entangled and the boats collided with each other. The currents and winds of the area aggravated the shipping difficulties in the circle. The Athenians then suddenly attacked and sank 12 enemy ships

Trireme’s apotropaic eye. Piraeus Museum. copyright S. Skarmintzos

After their defeat, the Lacedaemonians gathered 77 ships and send Brasidas, Cnemus, Timocrates and Lycophron to reverse the situation. Fragmentation of command and lack of naval experience would prove tragic. But the new commanders managed to embolden their crews. Despite all this, the Athenians did not succeed in luring them out into the open sea so as to take advantage of their superior naval skills. The Peloponnesians made the stratagem to threaten Nafpaktos and the Athenians sailed alongside them. The Peloponnesians then made a surprise attack and cut the Athenian line in two, thus isolating 9 ships and forcing them to run ashore and evacuate but the Messenians, allies of the Athenians, prevented the Peloponnesian marines from capturing them.

Phormion with the remaining 11 ships was waiting for the enemy in front of the port of Nafpaktos. The Lefkadian ship that Timocrates was on board, sailed way ahead of the rest, leading the others in a careless pursuit. Phormion who had spotted an anchored cargo ship (olkas) sailed around it and found himself at the stern of Timocrates ship. Without delay he rammed him. The Athenian trireme shook the Lefkadian vessel. Some rowers were impaled by the broken oars and others were crippled. Some marines were thrown into the water and some fell into the gap between the decks to be crippled as well. By the time the rest of the crew recovered, the Athenian hoplites rushed upon them.

Corinthian style helmets. Kanellopoulou Museum. copyright S.Skarmintzos

Timocrates instead as a commander to organize resistance and try to reverse the situation by counter-attack and kill Phormion killed himself thereby spreading his panic to his entire fleet, which retreated disorderly. Phormionas, maintaining his composure despite adversity and taking advantage of the superior naval training that Cimon had imposed on the Athenian navy, wrested victory from the jaws of defeat

Sources:

Thucidides, “History of the Pelopoenessian War” trn. John Dreyden, Macmillan, London, 1889.

Παυσανίας, “Description of Greece”| trn John Dreyden, Macmillan, London, 1889.