So through the sole initiative of those sent to spend the money for the sacrifice to Hercules, the amount was used instead for the construction of trireme ships.
But if I recall that article correctly, that was about the triremes ramming each other at fairly short distances during the siege of Syracuse, where you get the... Epotides, I think they're called, the cat's heads at the front, yeah.
Knowing victory would be impossible if the Persian forces simply outflanked them by sea, Athens marshaled a force of 271 triremes to sail into battle against 1,207 Persian ships.