In front of Sicily, on the African coasts, there was a large and ancient town.Cartagine
(Carthage), founded by Phoenician mariners.
This town had become so rich and so powerful as to dominate all the Mediterranean Sea.
The Cartheginians also ruled Sicily. Of course Rome could not allow it.
Carthage was really strong and Rome fought against it three wars which were called
Punic because Romans used to call the Carthaginians, Puni.
But it was not so easy to defeat Carthage. The Romans would need to destroy the
powerful Carthaginian fleet but they had few ships.
As usual Rome did not despair. In few weeks the consul Caio Duilio organized a fleet
of 120 ships. Moreover, since the Romans were used to land warfare, Caio Duilio
ordered to put on each ship a mobile bridge, called craw. When the ships got close ready to fight the mobile bridges were hooked on the enemy ships. They were so solid that the soldiers could fight on
them.
In this way the great Carthaginian fleet was completly destroyed in the waters of
Milazzo, on the Sicilan coasts. Then Romans landed near Carthage, led by the consul
Attilio Regolo who first defeated the Carthaginians. He was later defeated and
taken prisoner. The war went on and ended with the victory for Rome who conquered
Sicily as well as Sardinia and Corsica.
The Craw
The craw was a little bridge, which turned on a pin; this bridge had hooks and when it was let down on the enemy ship, it allowed the passage of the soldiers.
