During the First Punic War (264–241 BCE), Rome innovated at sea with the corvus, a hinged boarding bridge equipped with an iron spike that could drop onto enemy decks and lock in place. This allowed Roman soldiers to engage in close combat, turning naval battles into extensions of land warfare where their experience gave them an edge. Even when Roman seamanship lagged behind Carthage, the corvus leveled the playing field, demonstrating how inventive engineering and tactical creativity could shif