#A2ZChallenge N is for Navy- the Classis Britannica

N is for Navy

the Roman Classis Britannica

Theme: Ancient Roman Scotland during the Flavian era

Who set the precedent for the Classis Britannica, which was well-used by General Gnaeus Iulius Agricola during his northern Caledonia campaigns? 

From written references, we know that an Ancient Roman Fleet was used by Julius Caesar in an aggressive role during his less than successful attempt to invade Britain in 55 B.C., much of that fleet lost in storms. At this time, it was written that auxiliary marine units had been amassed to man the fleet, men who could swim - if necessary - in full kit. In 54 B.C., Julius Caesar used the fleet again to transfer more men and horses over to Britannia, this time having constructed around 600 new transports for the relatively short crossing to the south-east coast of Britannia, his total being something like 800 vessels. Though we don't know exactly what they looked like, his new ships were wider hulled to carry more cargo and were fitted with oars and sails.

Bireme- from Temple of Fortuna Primigenia, at Praeneste - Wikimedia Commons 

The image above may have been something like the bireme/ liburnian, two levels of oars, type that was thought to be the most popular style used by the navy for Britannic operations. After some initial success during confrontations with the natives on shore, Caesar again found that his navy was in trouble, devastating storms having driven his fleet ashore. Time (c.10 days) had to be used to resurrect and repair his ships before his campaign on land could be properly restarted. The important thing here is to state that Caesar had the personnel and expertise along with him, amongst his auxiliary forces, to repair his vessels. 

By A.D. 43, the Emperor Claudius was intent on subduing and absorbing the island of Britannia into the Roman Empire and for that purpose he organised the building of a very large fleet to transfer his 40,000 invasion force. From the Claudian invasion onwards, the fleet – generally referred to now as the Classis Britannica – kept the Mare Britannicum (English Channel) route safely available for Roman use, repelling any attempts by pirates, or others, to control the waters. However, at this time, the fleet was not thought to be monitoring as far north into the Mare Germanicum (North Sea) as would reach present day Scotland.  

Once the south-east of the island of Britannia was conquered, and relatively peaceful, the Classis Britannica tended to be used in supply and transfer operations. Soldiers; animals (mounts and pack animals); goods; and food etc. were transferred from continental ports like Boulogne (fleet headquarters in Gaul) mainly to the fleet base at Dover. Later, more northerly British locations were used as ports when Roman control of the area was established.

Bireme(?) from Trajan's Column -Wikimedia Commons

Batavian troops were used for invasion operations which required swimming, as when the druid island of Mona was invaded (Anglesey/Wales) under the command of Paulinus in A.D. 60. Though the druid population was decimated, the island and its Welsh environs were not completely under Roman control. In, probably, A.D. 78, during the command of General Gnaeus Iulius Agricola, Cornelius Tacitus wrote that Agricola quelled the unrest in the area around Mona and brought the surroundings under the Roman thumb. Agricola had his troops swim beside their mounts across to Mona, auxiliaries who could perhaps have been Batavian troops. Agricola seems to have had ships of the Classis Britannica sailing up the west coast of Britain, but the names of the vexillations or auxiliary units manning those vessels are not known (as far as I can tell).

When it came to Agricola’s invasions of the north and Caledonia in particular, Tacitus wrote that General Agricola used his fleet in an aggressive role on the east coast of Britannia. His ships plied the north-east of Scotland coastline, hopped ashore and ‘terrorised the natives’. They could do this because there was no other aggressive competition at sea. It's postulated that at roughly the same time, Agricola’s infantry were forging their way towards the north-east of Caledonia and were also terrorising the natives as they progressed on their northerly inland route, evidenced by the trail of their temporary camps.  Whether or not it really was an innovative use of the fleet on the part of Agricola, Tacitus seemed keen to give the impression it was a brilliant strategy by Agricola.

While studying the Agricolan invasion of Caledonia and the progress of Agricolan troops northwards, I really do find it very interesting that at the infamous Battle of Mons Graupius, Tacitus states that Agricola used his Batavian and Tungrian troops in strategic roles. I have no proof that the Batavians were attached to the fleet, but when Tacitus mentions that it was common practice during the Caledonian campaigns for the men of the fleet to meet up with the infantry, and trade stories around a campfire, I’d like to think those auxiliary soldiers were Batavian marines. (If anyone has discovered evidence of this point me in the right direction, please!)

I have made mention of the fleet being a successful addition to my Agricolan troops in After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks, Book 3 of my Celtic Fervour Series. The battle between Agricola’s forces and those of my Caledon leader Calgach at Beinn na Ciche (current Bennachie), at the end of Book 3, is loosely based on the battle strategy information given by Tacitus in his writing named the Agricola. The interventions by the Batavians and Tungrians in my battle are the pivotal point which leads to a crushing defeat for my Garrigill Clan protagonists.

Agricola ordered his fleet commanders to circumnavigate Britannia, to prove that it was indeed an island, which they appear to have done successfully according to Tacitus.  What Agricola was doing was corroborating earlier tales which had come down to him via ancient seafarers.   

Roman Tombstone, Mainz - Wikimedia Commons

The fleet support seems to have been one particular element in the success of Agricola’s Caledonian campaigns but would have been an especially crucial one if the fleet was manned by some of the Batavian and Tungrians who acquitted themselves well on the battlefield.

It’s thought that the bulk of the Classis Britannica ships were of the liburna style of warship. For plying the waters of the English Channel and the North Sea the ships needed to be of the smaller lighter types, able to withstand the weather conditions. For Agricola’s coastal and fluvial operations in Caledonia he perhaps also had ships of the navis actuaria type which had 15 oars on each side and a flat keel. These were oared vessels for close to shore use and not intended for longer sailing expeditions.  Since it's thought that Agricolan vessels sailed up-river in Scotland, in some cases for a good distance as in the River Tay (Taus?), it's also likely he had low bottomed easily-beached boats only propelled by oars. Barges, pulled along by oxen, were also very likely for the transport of men, animals and goods. Whether they were manned by Classis Britannica marines is a very good question - I'd hazard 'yes' as my answer. 

Courtesy of a photograph taken at Trimontium Museum Melrose. 

You can read some more information on Agricola’s Navy in an earlier post of mine of this blog if you click HERE.

Which of the above ship depictions seems the most useful for imagining what the bireme/liburnian style looked like?

Till tomorrow and another #A2ZChallenge post...
have a great day! 

Slainthe! 

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