# Most Decisive Naval Battle Nomination thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590 "2011-02-16T15:49:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [February 16, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/21 "2011-02-16T19:59:26Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Battle of Diu Damn you, you snaked my fifth! šŸ˜‰ Now it is back to the drawing board. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/22 "2011-02-16T20:06:08Z")
Okay, a bit obscureā€¦ **Battle of Cape Bon ( 468 )** - Vandals destroy combined Roman fleet, nail in the coffin for the Western Empire. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/23 "2011-02-16T20:13:39Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Okay, hereā€™s a question to the review board: do air-vs-ship battles count? Do the planes have to be carrier-launched, or does land-based air count? I would say yesā€¦lets not limit itā€¦any battle primarily based in water. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/24 "2011-02-16T20:25:41Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Not only a naval battle, but Iā€™d nominate [The Sicilian Expedition](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Expedition): the entire Athenian fleet and expeditionary force is annihilated at Syracuse, signaling the turning point of the Peloponnesian war and the beginning of the end of Athens. They should _never_ have gone up against _Sicilians_ when _death_ is on the line! HAhahahahaha ā€“ \* ---
**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:** [February 16, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/25 "2011-02-16T20:28:08Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > They should _never_ have gone up against _Sicilians_ when _death_ is on the line! HAhahahahaha ā€“ \* In fact, the Athenians got the best of both worlds by starting a land war in Sicily. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/26 "2011-02-16T20:32:29Z")
As a newbie, wondering if thereā€™s a case for the **Battle of the Nile** as being strategically more important than Trafalgar (considering the effect on land combat, strategic alliances, etc.)? Didnā€™t it pretty much keep Napoleon from threatening any overseas British possessions and pretty much permanently turn over control of the Med to Britain? And Iā€™ll throw out the Battle of the Chesapeake, which trapped Cornwallisā€™ army and forced him to surrender, thereby ending the American Revolution in victory. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/27 "2011-02-16T22:06:24Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I disagree, but Iā€™ll save my arguments for the debate thread itself. I want in on that. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/28 "2011-02-16T22:33:56Z")
Battle of Manila Bay ā€“ Led to Dewey being given the unique (at least for USA) honor of Admiral of the Navy Battle of the Coral Sea ā€“ Introduction of aircraft carriers facing each other Battle of Yamen ā€“ Mongol-controlled Yuan Dynasty crushed Song Dynasty in China Battle of Cartagena de Indias ā€“ British beaten by Spain in Colombia Battle of Noryang ā€“ Japanese invasions of Korea repelled ---
**Author:** ![merrick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58956e/32.png) [@merrick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrick)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/29 "2011-02-16T22:51:03Z")
I came here to nominate Diu, the Downs & Battle of Myeongnyang, but since theyā€™ve already been taken, Iā€™ll throw out: [Aegospotami](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aegospotami) - Lysanderā€™s destruction of the Athenian navy finished the Athenian Empire. [Marmara (677)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Constantinople_(674%E2%80%93678)) - Greek Fire stopped the Arabs outside Constantinople - and the Byzantines would roadblock Islam for another 700 years. [Quiberon Bay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Quiberon_Bay) - the cherry on the Year of Victory, it secured control over the Atlantic for Britain and doomed French Canada. [The Yalu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Yalu) - Japanā€™s victory was the start of Japanese imperial expansion, and a death blow to the Qing Empire. ---
**Author:** ![NCDane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecccb3/32.png) [@NCDane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NCDane)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/30 "2011-02-16T23:36:55Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Not meaning to hijack with discussion, but really? Iā€™d call Pearl Harbor about the least decisive naval battleā€“at least in terms on overall impact on the war. Yeah, the Japanese ā€œwonā€ the ambushā€“but they sealed their own doom in the same instant. They failed to eliminate the U.S. as a player, REALLY pissed us off, and eventually saw two of their cities get nuked before surrenderingā€¦ Getting the US into the war is what makes the action so important. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/31 "2011-02-17T01:52:53Z")
\*H.L. Hunley \*sinking the _Housatonic._ The first submarine to sink an enemy vessel. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/32 "2011-02-17T03:12:33Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > ā€¦And Iā€™ll throw out the Battle of the Chesapeake, which trapped Cornwallisā€™ army and forced him to surrender, thereby ending the American Revolution in victory. See post 11. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/33 "2011-02-17T04:00:23Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > As a newbie, wondering if thereā€™s a case for the **Battle of the Nile** as being strategically more important than Trafalgar (considering the effect on land combat, strategic alliances, etc.)? Didnā€™t it pretty much keep Napoleon from threatening any overseas British possessions and pretty much permanently turn over control of the Med to Britain? Whatever its consequences, itā€™s pretty tough to quibble with its decisiveness. I canā€™t think offhand of any more lopsided outcome in the age of fighting sail. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/34 "2011-02-17T04:12:47Z")
Not sure if it counts as a naval battle per say, but I would throw out the Kamakazi ā€œdevine windsā€ origin. From Wikipedia: The Mongol invasions of Japan (元åƇ, Genkō?) of 1274 and 1281 were major military efforts undertaken by Kublai Khan to conquer the Japanese islands after the submission of Goryeo (Korea) to vassaldom. Despite their ultimate failure, the invasion attempts are of macrohistorical importance, because they set a limit on Mongol expansion, and rank as nation-defining events in Japanese history. The Japanese were successful, in part because the Mongols lost up to 75% of their troops and supplies both times on the ocean as a result of major storms. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/35 "2011-02-18T14:39:48Z")
bump ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/36 "2011-02-19T04:16:26Z")
The Battle of the Falkland Islands in World War 1 seems pretty decisive. What little remained of von Speeā€™s squadron after the battle was pretty much ineffective, and the British lost 10 men and no ships to the Germans losing over 1800 men and 6 ships. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/37 "2011-02-19T06:03:24Z")
Battle of Flamborough Head ā€“ I have not yet begun to fight! Sinking of the Lusitania ā€“ One sided, but helped doom the Germans in the big picture. Operation Dynamo ā€“ Evacuation of Dunkirk allowed the Allies to live to fight another day ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/38 "2011-02-19T17:22:58Z")
OK, this oneā€™s kind of obscure: [The sinking of the INS Eilat, 1967](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Zealous_(R39)) - the first battle in which a vessel was sunk using ship-to-ship guided missiles. In a way, it led to as big a paradigm shift as the ironclad or the aircraft carrier; we just havenā€™t had a big enough naval conflict yet to see its impact. Also: The Battle of Baltimore, AKA the attack on Fort McHenry - strictly based on an importance-to-casualties ratio, this is a clear winner. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/39 "2011-02-19T19:02:42Z")
Not to mention the anthem we got out of it! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590/40 "2011-02-19T19:20:04Z")
Does an amphibious assault count as a naval battle? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-decisive-naval-battle-nomination-thread/571590.md?page=3)