Hannibal the Rhodian

Hannibal the Rhodian was a prominent Carthaginian nobleman and master navigator. In 250 BC, Roman fleets completely blockaded the harbor of Lilybaeum with sunken stones and ships, isolating the Punic garrison from news and supplies from Carthage.

Hannibal volunteered to sail his exceptionally sleek quinquereme through the Roman lines. Relying on intimate knowledge of the shifting shallows and winds, he repeatedly slipped into the harbor in full daylight, unloaded cargo, and sailed back out past immobilized Roman galleys while waving sarcastically from his deck. Romans eventually captured a grounded Punic quadremis and used it to ambush and capture his ship.