Napoli B, late 2nd–early 3rd century AD
Country: Italy
Place: Piazza Municipio, Naples (Campania); found on land during construction of the municipal metro station, in the Roman harbour
Coordinates (approximate): 40.84, 14.25
Type: Roman harbour or coastal vessel
Identified: No
Dated: Between the end of the 2nd century and the beginning of the 3rd century AD.
Beam: Unknown.
Keel Length: Unknown; 7 m preserved.
Length Overall: Unknown; 8 m preserved.
Number of Masts: One mast step is preserved.
History of the wreck
The Napoli B wreck was found on land, without associated cargo, together with others (Napoli A and C), during the construction of the municipal station of Naples (Boetto 2005), in the harbour context of the Roman city. It is dated between the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 3rd century AD.
Description of the site
The wreck preserves 8 m of length and a width of nearly 2 m, corresponding to the forward part of the ship (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Plan of the Napoli B, with the internal longitudinal timbers, and longitudinal section (after Boetto 2005: 70).
Cargo
No associated cargo.
Ballast
Not reported.
Anchors
Not reported.
Guns
Not applicable.
Iron concretions
Not reported. The stringers were fastened with iron nails.
Hull Remains
The surviving remains of the bow consist of a fragment of the keel with 10 hull strakes on the port side and four on the starboard side, 27 frames with 7 futtocks, a keelson, 6 fixed stringers, 38 removable ceiling strakes, a fragment of a stanchion and a fragment of a transverse bulkhead.
Keel, keelson and mast step
The keel preserves 7 m of its length, with a rectangular section 8–10 cm wide and 7–11.3 cm high.
The keelson-mast step, notched over the frames, preserves a length of 2.27 m and has a rectangular section. It has four mortises, one of rectangular section and three of triangular section, the latter surrounded by smaller mortises. The first would be related to a stanchion supporting the deck, while the other three would be related to the stepping of a mast. The author interprets the presence of three mortises for this purpose as errors of construction that were corrected.
Frames
The frames are on average 8 cm sided and 8.7 cm moulded, with a room-and-space (malla) of 18.3 cm. In this portion of the hull a series of half-frames is preserved, two of them asymmetrical. Three of them were fastened to the keel by metal nails driven from inside the hull before the keelson was fitted, one of them passing through a rectangular central limber hole of the same shape as the others recorded in the ship. The framing is fastened to the hull by wooden treenails and metal nails (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Cross-section at frame O14 (after Boetto 2005: 71).
Planking
The planking strakes are 2.5 cm thick, with mortises 6.6 cm wide, 5 cm deep and 0.5 cm thick, locked by pegs placed every 15.8 cm. Towards the bow the planks are fastened by copper nails driven horizontally.
Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales
The stringer, with long planks 2.7 cm thick, was fastened to the frames by iron nails, while the removable ceiling strakes were short and 2.2 cm thick. Two symmetrical notches on either side of the mast step must have housed stanchions used to fit a bulkhead, a fragment of whose base has been found.
Caulking
Not reported.
Size and scantlings
The preserved forward part measures 8 × c. 2 m. The keel measures 8–10 × 7–11.3 cm, the frames 8 × 8.7 cm at a room-and-space of 18.3 cm, and the planking 2.5 cm thick.
Table 1. Scantling of the timber remains of the Napoli B Shipwreck
| Timber | Sided [cm] | Molded [cm] |
| Keel | 8–10 | 7–11.3 |
| Keelson | – | – |
| Maststep Mortise | – – | – – |
| Buttresses | – | – |
| Frames | 8 (avg.) | 8.7 (avg.) |
| Futtocks | – | – |
| Room-and-space At central frames | 18.3 | |
| Planking | – | 2.5 |
| Ceiling Stringers Removable strakes | – – | 2.7 2.2 |
| Main mast Ø Chock | – – | – – |
The keelson-mast step is preserved over 2.27 m.
Wood
Not reported.
Bibliography
Boetto, G. 2005. Le navi romane di Napoli. In D. Giampaola et al., La scoperta del porto di Neapolis: dalla ricostruzione topografica allo scavo e al recupero dei relitti. Archaeologia Maritima Mediterranea 2: 63–76.