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Themistocles (c. 524–c. 459 BCE) -

As a politician, Themistocles was instrumental in convincing the ancient Greek city-states to increase the naval power of Athens. As a general, he took to the sea to command the Greek allied navy at the battles of Artemisium (which the Persians won) and Salamis (a Greek victory) in 480 BCE.

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Thrasybulus (c. 440–388 BCE) -

Thrasybulus commanded the Athenian fleet in several major engagements, notably at the Battle of Cynossema in 411 BCE and the Battle of Abydos the same year—both Athenian victories.

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Lysander (c. 454–395 BCE) -

One of Sparta's most accomplished military and political leaders, Lysander annihilated the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BCE, a victory that forced the capitulation of Athens and brought the Peloponnesian War to an end.

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Nearchus (c. 360–300 BCE) -

Nearchus was an officer in the Macedonian army under Alexander the Great. He won his spurs, however, as admiral of the fleet and the celebrated expeditionary voyage he led in 326 BCE, starting from the Indus River and sailing through the Persian Gulf and ending at the mouth of the Tigris River.

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Gaius Duilius (c. 260–231 BCE) -

Gaius Duilius won Rome's first ever victory at sea by defeating the Carthaginians at the Battle of Mylae in 260 BCE during the First Punic War. Later, a victory column was placed in the Roman Forum in his honor.

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Adherbal (died 230 BCE) -

As the Carthaginian commander-in-chief, admiral Adherbal triumphed at the Battle of Drepana in Sicily in 249 BCE, inflicting a crushing defeat on the Romans.

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Decimus Brutus (81–43 BCE) -

The battle of the Morbihan Gulf in June 56 BCE was the first naval battle in recorded history to take place in the North Atlantic. Raised by Julius Caesar to destroy the naval power of the Veneti tribe of modern Brittany, the fleet was helmed by Decimus Brutus, who'd previously served as a military commander in Hispania and in Illyria.

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Marcus Agrippa (c. 63–12 BCE) -

Roman general and statesman Marcus Agrippa commanded Octavian's powerful maritime fleet against the combined forces of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the famous Battle of Actium in September BCE. The engagement, which took place in the Ionian Sea, proved a decisive victory for the Romans.

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Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1450–1500) -

The 15th century heralded the Age of Discovery, a period of maritime expansion led by Portugal and Spain. In 1488, Portuguese mariner and explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European navigator to round the southern tip of Africa. His voyages effectively established the sea route between Europe and Asia.

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Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) -

The equally intrepid Italian explorer Christopher Columbus completed four Spanish-based voyages across the Atlantic Ocean sponsored by the Catholic Monarchs. He was awarded the title "Admiral of the Ocean Sea" for his historic 1492 voyage to the New World.

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Vasco da Gama (c. 1460s–1524) -

The first European to reach India by sea, Portuguese explorer and sea captain Vasco da Gama made landfall at Kozhikode (also known in English as Calicut) on May 20, 1498. His discovery of a sea route to India resulted in Portugal monopolizing the highly lucrative spice trade.

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Pedro Álvares Cabral (c. 1467 or 1468–c. 1520) -

Portuguese navigator and explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral is regarded as the European discoverer of Brazil. During the same expedition he became the first human in history to ever be on four continents, uniting all of them in his famous voyage of 1500.

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Ferdinand Magellan (c. 1480–1521) -

The Strait of Magellan, a navigable sea route in southern Chile, is named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who commanded the 1519 Spanish expedition, the goal of which was to achieve the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific. Magellan died en route, killed at the Battle of Mactan in the present-day Philippines. However, the remaining ships, led by Spaniard Juan Sebastián Elcano, completed the voyage, thus achieving the first circumnavigation of Earth when they returned to Spain in 1522.

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Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540–1596) -

The man most associated with sailing around the globe is the English explorer and privateer Sir Francis Drake. He completed his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, between 1577 and 1580. In 1588, Drake was part of the fight against the Spanish Armada, serving as a vice-admiral.

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Yi Sun-sin (1545–1598) -

Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin is regarded as a national hero for his numerous victories against the Japanese navy during the Imjin War during the Joseon Dynasty. He is especially celebrated for the Battle of Busan of 1592, a naval bombardment of anchored Japanese ships at Busan during which over 100 enemy vessels were destroyed.

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William Kidd (c. 1654–1701) -

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the high seas increasingly plagued by pirates and mercenaries. William Kidd, better known as Captain Kidd, was a Scottish privateer commissioned to protect English interests in North America and the West Indies. Kidd's mission was to rid the ocean of pirates, but he took every opportunity to capture any enemy ships that had valuable cargo.

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Henry Morgan (c. 1635–1688) -

Captain Henry Morgan was a Welsh privateer based out of Port Royal in Jamaica. A canny mariner, he raided settlements and shipping on the Spanish Main, becoming incredibly wealthy as he did so.

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John Rackham (1680–1720) -

John Rackham, known to everyone as Calico Jack for his dapper turnout, was an English pirate captain operating out of the Bahamas and Cuba during the early 18th century.

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Edward Teach (c. 1680–1718) -

The eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies was the watery realm of Edward Teach, the notorious pirate known as Blackbeard. An accomplished sailor, Blackbeard was feared at sea, responsible as he was for countless acts of piracy.

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Bartholomew Roberts (1682–1722) -

Generally regarded as the most successful pirate during the so-called Golden Age of Piracy between the 1650s and 1730s, Bartholomew Roberts, otherwise known as Black Bart, raided ships off the Americas and the West African coast, accounting for over 470 vessels. Black Bart is credited with designing the Jolly Roger—the sinister-looking skull and crossbones flag.

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James Cook (1728–1779) -

Famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and to New Zealand and Australia, Captain James Cook remains one of Britain's most illustrious naval officers from history. Cook died at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii, on February 14, 1779, at the hands of local islanders.

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Pierre André de Suffren (1729 –1788) -

French Navy officer and admiral Pierre André de Suffren is remembered for his daring tactics in British and Native Indian waters during the American Revolutionary War.

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John Paul Jones (1747–1792) -

A prominent figure during the American Revolutionary War, the Scottish-American naval commander John Paul Jones was honored with the epithet "Father of the American Navy" for his actions in British waters during the conflict, engagements that included the taking of their 50-gun frigate, HMS Serapis.

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William Bligh (1754–1817) -

Hapless William Bligh will always be remembered as the captain of HMS Bounty, the ship at the center of the infamous mutiny of 1789. But Bligh redeemed himself somewhat after being set adrift in Bounty's launch with a small crew of loyal men and successfully navigating the boat to reach dry land.

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Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) -

Arguably the most illustrious name on this list, Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, is widely regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in history. His succession of victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars made him a national hero. He was killed commanding HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805.

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Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819) -

During the War of 1812, American naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry engaged a squadron of the Royal Navy on Lake Eerie. Perry's forces pounded the British until they surrendered, even though his own vessel, the flagship USS Lawrence, was disabled by enemy fire.

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John Barry (1745–1803) -

Irish-born American naval officer John Barry served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War. Barry achieved the high rank of commodore, receiving his commission from President George Washington in 1797.

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John Jellicoe (1859–1935) -

John Jellicoe enjoyed a run of success as a Royal Navy officer in the Anglo-Egyptian War and the Boxer Rebellion before commanding the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 during the First World War. Jellicoe later served as First Sea Lord.

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William Halsey Jr. (1882–1959) -

An American Navy admiral who served during the Second World War, William Halsey Jr. achieved fame commanding the forces that captured Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and other key islands in the Solomon Island Chain against the Japanese during the Pacific War. He is one of just four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others being William Leahy, Ernest King, and Chester W. Nimitz.

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Hans Langsdorff (1894–1939) -

Hans Langsdorff was a German naval officer known for his command of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee before and during the Battle of the River Plate off the coast of Uruguay in 1939. Crippled by the British, the heavy cruiser sought sanctuary in Montevideo. Prevented to leave by Royal Navy warships, Langsdorff took the brave decision to scuttle his vessel in the River Plate estuary, a decision that infuriated Adolf Hitler. Three days later, Langsdorff took his own life.

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Chester W. Nimitz (1885–1966) -

The last of the men to wear the rank of fleet admiral, Chester W. Nimitz played a pivotal role in the naval history of the Second World War. He's pictured signing the instrument of surrender for the United States after Japan's capitulation aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. He was later honored by the naming of the Nimitz class super aircraft carrier.

Sources: (Navy History and Heritage Command) (Navy Times) (Britannica) (Imperial War Museum) 

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