Humble men who made their living fishing the waters of a tiny lake in the Albion Hills near Rome had been telling tales of sunken ships lurking at the bottom of the lake for centuries. Lake Nemi is only .6 square miles and has no connections to the sea, making the presence of shipwrecks unfeasible. Yet for centuries, fishermen snagged their anchors on large timbers protruding from the mud at the bottom of the lake. Several attempts to dive on the massive shipwrecks and eventually to raise them failed.
As incredible as it may seem, archeologists hypothesized that 36,000 years ago, a lake formed in what remained of a burnt-out volcanic crater in the Alban Hills about nineteen miles south of Rome, Italy. The lake is nestled in a beautiful, wooded area of Lagano. It is sometimes called The Mirror of Diana because the area contains remnants of an ancient shrine dedicated to the mythical goddess Diana, known for her decadence.
Gaius Julis Ceasar, better known as the Roman Emperor Caligula, reigned from 37 – 41 AD. At the tender age of 24, after his benefactor Emperor Tiberius died, Caligula became Emperor of the Roman Empire. Caligula was renowned for his decadence and lavish spending, yet for a time, his subjects loved him. In the year 37 AD, after a near-fatal illness rumored to be poisoning, his mood changed, and he became paranoid, cruel, and self-serving. Some ancient historians believe he was manifestly insane, self-absorbed, sexually deviant, homicidal, and fiscally imprudent. His obsession with the goddess Diana may have led him to his plan to build a floating pleasure palace on Lake Nemi. Caligula was quite familiar with giant ships. He ordered the construction of a 341-foot vessel to transport the Vatican obelisk from Egypt to Rome.In later years, it was discovered that two ships were buried in the mud of Lake Nemi. The Prima Nave was the largest with a length of 230 long and beam of 66 feet. The ship was steered by oars that were 36 feet long. Unlike ships of the time, it was like a shrine with buildings more like those seen on land. The seconda nave, the second ship was 240 feet long with a beam of 79 feet. Historians believe it was dedicated to the mythical god Isis rather than to Diana.
Truly amazing are the artifacts brought up from the wrecks. The ships had anchors made of oak wood weighted with lead bars and iron anchors. Both ships had hand operated bilge pumps. Hot and cold water was supplied by piston pumps supplied by lead pipes marked e with Caligula’s logo. Both ships contained rotating platforms. Incredibly remnants of roller and ball bearings were found in the mud. A bronze tap valve and faucets were found that are identical to those used to this day indicating that the romans were more adept at precision machining than previously imagined. The concrete floors of both ships were heated in the Hypocaust method by hot air passing under the floors from onboard furnaces.
The construction was the shell-first technique known as the Vitruvian method in which the outer hull of a ship is fashioned from Oak planking thane the ribs are installed later. Hence the basic hull did not depend on the ribs for strength, only to maintain the shape. This is just the opposite of modern ship building in which the keel is laid first, the ribs attached then the planking is applied. Evidence of ligature and mortise tenons were found. The hulls of both vessels were clad in three layers of lead. Many of the features were unnecessary, for example lead lined hulls were not needed in fresh water. The one hundred oars were not needed because the lake was too small to navigate for a massive ship. The very shallow draft required that five keels be laid for each ship.
In 1922, the infamous dictator Benito Mussolini came to power. He dreamed of becoming the modern-day emperor of the Roman empire and vowed to restore the glory that was once Rome to all of Italy. To that end Mussolini initiated the plan of Italian engineer Guido Ucelli to drain the lake in order to reveal and salvage both wrecks. In 1928, with Uccelli at his side Mussolini threw the switch activating the massive pumps that would drain the lake through underground conduits dating back centuries. Those drainage tunnels had originally been built to protect the shrine to Diana from flooding. They were discovered and 1928, with Uccelli at his side Mussolini threw the switch activating the massive pumps that would drain the lake through underground conduits dating back centuries. Those drainage tunnels had originally been built to protect the shrine to Diana from flooding. They were discovered and 1928, with Uccelli at his side Mussolini threw the switch activating the massive pumps that would drain the lake through underground conduits dating back centuries. Those drainage tunnels had originally been built to protect the shrine to Diana from flooding. They were discovered and 1928, with Uccelli at his side Mussolini threw the switch activating the massive pumps that would drain the lake through underground conduits dating back centuries. Those drainage tunnels had originally been built to protect the shrine to Diana from flooding. They were discovered and utilized by Ucelli. By September of 1928, the first ship was totally clear of the mud and being prepared to be transported on rails to dry land. Then by October 1932 both ships were safely on dry land and under cover in a temporary hangar. As Mussolini had hoped enthusiasm grew for the ships and in 1933 and a building to house the ships and the artifacts was commissioned. The Museo deli Navi in 1939.
Tragically, the museum and the ships were destroyed on the night of May 31, 1944. Initially, investigations blamed Allied bombing for the fire. However, a later study by a Jesuit priest, Father John Mcmanmon, in 2023 hypostasized it was arson by persons unknown. Fortunately, the Lake Diana Association has preserved many of the artifacts. Including a panel of inlaid marble found in New York City, which was confirmed to have come from the Nemi Museum. Plans for the new museum will include artifacts and preserved and reconstructed parts of ships. In addition, there will be a full-sized replica of one of the ships that will be floating in the lake near the museum.
Details on the Caligula’s ships are available online on Google, at the Museum of Roman ships.