Enormous Roman Shipwreck Found Off Greek Island [2019]

Smithsonian Magazine ^ | December 17, 2019 | Jason Daley

[ptsal]

bkmk

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Glad you liked it. It’s interesting (and logical) that the merchant vessels had a deep draft for carrying capacity, not for speed (warfare) and therefore could not be near the coastline.

Imagine docking those big, heavily laden, cumbersome sailing ships with crude square sails. Once close to the dock, the oars were obviously not much use on the dock side of the ship. And there were no motorized tenders or tugs. That had to be quite a feat.

[EvilCapitalist]

I was thinking of this scene when I said “A Woman?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx_G2a2hL6U

[pierrem15]

The Diadochi built some huge ships, but I'm not sure if any were actually put to sea or were intended only for harbor defense.

Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt built an oared catamaran so large each oar required 40 rowers. But I don't think it ever left the harbor. Similarly, Caligula's barges were immense.