Battle of Rhium

Battle of Rhium
Part of the Peloponnesian War
Date429 BC
Location
The mouth of the Corinthian Gulf, near present-day Rio, Greece
Result Athenian victory
Belligerents
Athens Sparta,
Corinth,
and other members of the Peloponnesian League
Commanders and leaders
Phormio Machaon,
Isocrates,
Agatharchidas, and others
Strength
20 triremes 47 triremes, some being used as transports
Casualties and losses
None 12 ships captured, with most of their crews

The Battle of Rhium (429 BC) or the battle of Chalcis[1] was a naval battle in the Peloponnesian War between an Athenian fleet commanded by Phormio and a Peloponnesian fleet composed of contingents from various states, each with its own commander. The battle came about when the Peloponnesian fleet, numbering 47 triremes, attempted to cross over to the northern shore of the Gulf of Patras to attack Acarnania in support of an offensive in northwestern Greece; Phormio's fleet attacked the Peloponnesians while they were making the crossing.

In the battle, the Peloponnesian ships, hampered by the fact that many of them were equipped not as fighting vessels but as transports, circled together in a defensive posture. Phormio, taking advantage of his crews' superior seamanship, sailed around the clustered Peloponnesians with his ships, driving the Peloponnesians closer and closer together until they began to foul oars and collide with each other. The Athenians then suddenly attacked, routing the Peloponnesians and capturing 12 ships.

  1. ^ a town on the Aetolian coast near the Evenus