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Rh sea force could have been turned into an army to harass Africa. Yet Africa save for a very early raid was left untouched till the battle of the Metaurus broke the Carthaginian power in Italy. Then Scipio sailed in Etruscan ships, and attacked Utica and Tunis. Here his fleet was defeated by the Carthaginian ships, though his invasion was not affected thereby, since he subsequently defeated the Carthaginian home army. This led to the recall of Hannibal and his veterans who returned by sea.

In the following year Hannibal in command of a mixed force of his veterans and raw levies was defeated in the battle of Zama, and by his advice Carthage subsequently secured the best peace terms she could.

Let us now examine the action of Sea Power on this war.

The entire series of naval operations was as follows: —

At the outbreak of war Rome had a fleet of 160 quinqueremes. Of these sixty, under Sempronius, were sent to raid Africa: and sixty under Scipio to Spain. The Carthaginians meanwhile sent twenty ships to raid the Italian coast, but these were dispersed by a tempest off Messana. Some of them were captured by Hiero of Syracuse who was then at Messana, and he, suspecting that Lilybaeuni was the Carthaginian objective,