Hannibal the Rhodian

Hannibal the Rhodian was a Carthaginian sailor in the First Punic War. He commanded a fast quadreme. During the Siege of Lilybaeum he was able to use the velocity of his ship and its shallow draft to go into the shallows and avoid the Roman fleet. He was able to gain valuable intelligence that he reported to the Carthaginian commander, Ad Herbal and to the Carthaginian Senate. He later was forced to run aground by the Roman navy, and his ship was taken by Roman marines. The Romans took his ship design and used it to construct a navy as capable as the Carthaginians.

References

• The Rise of the Roman Empire, by Polybius