Mylae

Mylae (mī`lē), ancient port, NE Sicily, now Milazzo. It was settled by colonists from Messina. Here in 260 B.C. the Romans in a newly built fleet were led to victory over the Carthaginians by the consul Caius Duilius in the First Punic War; it was Rome's first naval triumph. Mylae was (36 B.C.) the scene of a naval victory of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa over Sextus Pompeius.

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Mylae 

an ancient city in northern Sicily, the present-day Milazzo.

In 260 B.C., during the First Punic War (264–241), the Roman fleet of 120 ships under the command of the consul Gaius Duilius gained its first naval victory over the Carthaginians with 130 ships off Mylae. A decisive role in the outcome of the battle was played by such Roman technical innovations as the corvus, or boarding hook. The Carthaginians lost 45 ships—14 were sunk and 31 were captured by the Romans. After the victory at Mylae, the Romans began military operations on African territory.

In 36 B.C., in a battle off Mylae, Octavian’s fleet under Marcus Agrippa won a victory over Sextus Pompey.