Explain what are the merits of Themistocles in the war with the Persians?

His active work as the head of the so-called naval party in strengthening the Athenian fleet (as opposed to the policy of Aristides, who relied exclusively on strong infantry) largely predetermined the outcome of such a key battle during the Greco-Persian wars as the Battle of Salamis. In addition, Themistocles’ outstanding diplomatic abilities (or rather, such his typically “odyssey” qualities as cunning and resourcefulness) more than once provoked the disorientation of the conquerors.