Total hulls present need to be separated from the warships that entered the battle. Octavian may have brought about 400 vessels, of which roughly 260 were warships and the remainder transports or supply ships, with around 19,000 infantry and archers aboard the fighting fleet. Antony's figures vary between approximately 140 ships in his three engaged groups and a higher total once Cleopatra's sixty-ship squadron and transports are counted. On that basis, roughly 140 to 150 of Antony's ships may have fought about 260 of Octavian's, but the numbers remain estimates. Reports that Antony's entire fleet was sunk cannot be literal because Cleopatra and Antony both escaped with ships, making source criticism essential whenever ancient totals are compared.
Notable Point · 1:09:20-1:12:43
Counting Actium's warships, transports, and survivors
Ancient totals mix warships, transports, reserves, and ships actually engaged, while the known breakout rules out claims that Antony's entire fleet was sunk.