Although Themistocles had tried to claim leadership of the fleet, the other city states with navies objected, and so Sparta (which had no naval tradition) was given command of the fleet as a compromise.
Selv om Themistokles havde forsøgt at overtage kommandoen over flåden var de andre bystater imod dette, og derfor blev Sparta (som ikke havde traditioner til søs) overdraget kommandoen over flåden som et kompromis.