The Battle of the Masts was fought between these navies.
Chinese and Japanese
British and Americans
Spanish and Portuguese
Byzantines and Egyptians
Byzantines and Egyptians. In 655 AD, 500 Byzantine ships fought 200 Egyptian vessels. The two navies came so close their masts touched, allowing hand-to-hand combat between crews. This style of fighting favored the Egyptian Arabs, who slaughtered their numerically superior opponents.