# Most Decisive Naval Battle (Game Thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 24, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459 "2011-02-24T16:16:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/241 "2011-05-06T17:59:19Z")
I’m going against Salamis. 2 points. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/242 "2011-05-06T21:32:12Z")
Ditto: Salamis, two points. Gotta give Nelson his due. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/243 "2011-05-07T02:39:51Z")
Both worthy choices, but again, I can’t believe a unanimous decision should be in the offing. Trafalgar – 2 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/244 "2011-05-07T03:30:12Z")
De-lurking in support of the Greeks. Trafalgar, 2. ---
**Author:** ![Wargamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Wargamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wargamer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/245 "2011-05-08T15:38:11Z")
Voting for Trafalgar - 2. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/246 "2011-05-08T16:12:43Z")
2 for Trafalgar. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/247 "2011-05-09T04:34:40Z")
**Salamis** - Decisive tactical and strategic victory that assured naval dominance throughout the rest of the war, but did not end the war or assure its success. Nonetheless a key moment on the road to eventual victory. **Trafalgar** - Even more decisive tactical victory, less decisive short-term strategic victory. Like Salamis it also assured naval superiority, but while the Greeks would go on to win their war, the anti-French alliance would soon lose to Napoleon on the ground at Austerlitz. Often marked as the rise of the total British naval dominance, but that really isn’t quite the case IMO. More importantly I think a British _defeat_ probably would have been of less immediate consequence than a Greek loss. I think Salamis has to bulk a bit larger between the two. Also Trafalgar is tainted by the unmanly use of gunpowder ;). **Trafalgar** - 2. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/248 "2011-05-09T13:30:20Z")
Wow this is tough. Trafalgar featured a higher percentage of damage to the defeated side, and a better ratio for the winners, but substantially fewer ships – Salamis was _epic in_ scale. IIRC Themistocles placed pretty high in the Greatest Military Leader thread, too. Nelson faced a more vexing tactical problem, though, in bringing the ponderous sailing vessels into a position to force a deicsion – Themistocles’ problem was essentially the same one every badly outnumbered force faces. After much agonizing, I’m going to go against Trafalgar, despite my personal admiration for Nelson’s achievements and the fact that I’d _much_ rather be a Jack Tar on HMS Victory than a sweating Athenian oarsman. **Trafalgar - 2** ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/249 "2011-05-09T14:16:03Z")
I am also going against traf, Trafalgar - 2 New thread opening - get yur behinds in there especially Tamerlane 🙂 : [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=607184&page=2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=607184&page=2) ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/250 "2011-05-09T18:54:23Z")
Salamis is the winner! ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/251 "2011-05-09T19:07:01Z")
Damn you, Greeks! Horatio will have to comfort himself with Emma. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459/252 "2011-05-09T19:39:54Z")
Ah, well. I thought I could see it coming. And Emma was hawt, so I don’t feel too bad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-game-thread/572459.md?page=12)