Largest battle at sea

The greatest of ancient naval battles in recorded history was the Battle of Salamis, which took place in the straits at Salamis, between the island of Salamis and the port city of Piraeus, (the city-port of Athens), Greece in September 480 BC. There were an estimated 800 vessels in the defeated Persian fleet and 370 in the victorious fleet of the Athenians and their allies, with a possible involvement of 200,000 men. The Greeks sank about 300 Persian vessels and lost about 40 themselves.

The death toll at the Battle of Lepanto on 7 October 1571 has been estimated at 33,000.