Naval defeat of the Persians

After the battle of Marathon when Xerxes became king that the Persians then went back to fight against Athens. In about 481 B.C Xerxes gathered an army of 150,000 men and a navy of 600 ships. Fortunately the Athenians where ready thanks to Themistocles, who after Marathon convinced them to build a navy. In 481 B.C they had a navy of 200 ships. When the Persians arrived Themistocles understood that the battle would have to be either won or lost at sea. He kept the navy fleet safe in the harbor while the harsh Aegean sea destroyed many of Xerxes boats. When the time for battle finally came it took place off the island of Salamis. The Greek boats where slow and clumsy compared to the Persians . So the Greeks turned the boats into fighting platforms, fighting in hand to hand combat. The Athenians was able to destroy most of the Persian fleet, and the Persians then withdrew their army.