Napoli C, Roman Imperial period
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 vessel with a bow transom (horeia)
Identified: No
Dated: Not given in the source; found together with Napoli A (late 1st century AD) and Napoli B (late 2nd–early 3rd century AD).
Beam: 3.7 m (maximum preserved).
Keel Length: 12.15 m.
Length Overall: 13.2 m preserved.
Number of Masts: One; notches for a mast step about 6 m long are present on the frames.
History of the wreck
The Napoli C wreck was found on land, without associated cargo, together with Napoli A and B (Boetto 2005).
Description of the site
The wreck preserves a length of 13.2 m, a maximum width of 3.7 m and a height of 80 cm (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Plan, longitudinal section and cross-sections of the Napoli C (after Boetto 2005: 73).
Cargo
No associated cargo.
Ballast
Not reported.
Anchors
Not reported.
Guns
Not applicable.
Iron concretions
Not reported. Metal nails were used in the construction.
Hull Remains
The hull consists of a keel extended by a forefoot at the stern and joined to a vertical transom at the bow, 11 hull strakes on the port side and 10 on the starboard side, 50 frames and 25 futtocks, 4 fixed stringer planks on each side and four axial planks related to the fastening of the bow transom (Figure 1).
The central cross-section shows a flat bottom with almost vertical sides, as do the sections towards the bow, while towards the stern the sections close at an angle. In the longitudinal plane, the keel curves sharply aft at the level of the forefoot, while the bow rises gradually, the keel projecting a few centimetres beyond the bow transom. The transom is inclined outwards at 120° to the horizontal.
Keel, keelson and mast step
The keel is 12.15 m long and has a trapezoidal section with an upper moulding, 12–14 cm wide and 10 to 14.5 cm high. The forefoot of the sternpost has nails fastening it to the garboard strakes, besides the mortises and tenons, and is joined to the keel by a trait de Jupiter (rayo de Júpiter) scarf reinforced by vertical pegs acting as nails.
The lower part of the transom is preserved. Its semicircular base fits the shape of the hull, with oblique or bevelled sides joined to the hull strakes by metal nails. It was not a single piece but was joined to other parts by mortises and tenons. The ends of the stringers, which would have reinforced the joints of this piece, must have reached its upper part (Figure 2).
On the upper face of the frames there were triangular notches for fitting the mast step, about 6 m long and 13 to 30 cm wide, which had been removed from the hull in antiquity.
Figure 2. Longitudinal section of the bow transom and its reinforcements (after Boetto 2005: 73).
Frames
The frames are 6.9 cm sided and 11 cm moulded, with a room-and-space (malla) of 14 cm. The alternation of floor timbers and half-frames is not regular, and asymmetrical half-frames were also observed. Four of the floor timbers have a particular shape, being shorter than the others and longitudinally trapezoidal, with the shorter face in contact with the hull (Figure 3). The framing is fastened to the hull by wooden treenails driven both from inside and from outside the hull, and by blind metal nails. The central limber holes over the keel have various shapes: oval, trapezoidal and triangular.
Figure 3. Cross-section of floor timber M5 of the Napoli C (after Boetto 2005: 73).
Planking
The hull has planking strakes 3.6 cm thick, with mortises 6.9 cm wide, while the tenons are slightly smaller, 6.2 cm wide and 0.6 cm thick. The locking pegs are 12.7 cm apart. The planks of the same strake are joined by bevelled scarfs, some of them as stealers.
Ceiling, thick stuff, and wales
The stringer planks are 3.5 cm thick; this structure has the same characteristics as in the Napoli A, with butt joints (vertical joints) and fastened to the frames by pairs of nails.
Caulking
There are numerous repairs to the hull (simply nailed planks, repair tenons and plugs closing holes), and notably abundant resin on both the inner and outer faces of the hull.
Size and scantlings
The preserved hull measures 13.2 × 3.7 m, with a height of 80 cm. It has a flat bottom with almost vertical sides, a keel of 12–14 × 10–14.5 cm, frames of 6.9 × 11 cm at a room-and-space of 14 cm, and planking 3.6 cm thick.
Table 1. Scantling of the timber remains of the Napoli C Shipwreck
| Timber | Sided [cm] | Molded [cm] |
| Keel | 12–14 | 10–14.5 |
| Keelson | – | – |
| Maststep (from notches) | 13–30 | – |
| Buttresses | – | – |
| Frames | 6.9 | 11 |
| Futtocks | – | – |
| Room-and-space At central frames | 14 | |
| Planking | – | 3.6 |
| Ceiling (stringers) | – | 3.5 |
| Main mast Ø Chock | – – | – – |
The mast step, removed in antiquity, was about 6 m long.
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.