When Rome decided to fight Carthage — the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean — it had one tiny problem: no ships, no sailors, and no clue what “port” or “starboard” meant. So what did they do? They built a navy from scratch in less than a year.

In this History with Dad Tangent, we’ll look at how Romereverse-engineered a Carthaginian warship, trained farmers to row on dry land, and accidentally invented the world’s first “learn-to-sail” crash course. It’s a story of wood, willpower, and what happens when the phrase “how hard could it be?” gets taken way too literally.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Overcast — and if you’re enjoying the voyage, support History with Dad at buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad.