What unit from the Roman Army consisting of centuries enjoyed more prestige than the Roman navy?
Roman navy The Roman navy (Latin: "Classis" , lit. "fleet") comprised the naval forces of the Ancient Roman state. The navy was instrumental in the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean basin, but it never enjoyed the prestige of the Roman legions. Throughout their history, the Romans remained a primarily land-based people and relied partially on their more nautically inclined subjects, such as the Greeks and the Egyptians, to build their ships. Because of that, the navy was never completely embraced by the Roman state, and deemed somewhat "un-Roman".
Droungarios of the Fleet The "droungarios" of the Fleet (Greek: δρουγγάριος τοῦ πλοΐμου/τῶν πλοΐμων , "droungarios tou ploïmou/tōn ploïmōn"; after the 11th century δρουγγάριος τοῦ στόλου, "droungarios tou stolou"), sometimes anglicized as Drungary of the Fleet, was the commander of the Imperial Fleet (βασιλικὸς στόλος, "basilikos stolos", or βασιλικὸν πλόϊμον, "basilikon ploïmon"), the central division of the Byzantine navy stationed at the capital of Constantinople, as opposed to the provincial (thematic) fleets. From the late 11th century, when the Byzantine fleets were amalgamated into a single force under the "megas doux", the post, now known as the Grand "droungarios" of the Fleet (μέγας δρουγγάριος τοῦ στόλου, "megas droungarios tou stolou"), became the second-in-command of the "megas doux" and continued in this role until the end of the Byzantine Empire.