After the British fleet disappears from the record, Germanic piracy becomes serious enough for Rome to construct a replacement. Carausius commands that new fleet and then uses his maritime strength to sustain a usurpation in Britain. Rome builds another force in the Rhine delta, loses it to battle or storm, and then has Constantius Chlorus construct a third fleet for the invasion of AD 296. The cycle illustrates how short-term savings on a standing force produced much larger emergency costs.
Chapter · 17:15-19:49
Carausius exposes the cost of abandoning a standing fleet
The disappearance of the Classis Britannica leaves Rome paying repeatedly to rebuild fleets against piracy and Carausius's breakaway regime.