Giant Hellenistic warships with more than 7000 crew members

Michael Lahanas

Gigantische Hellenistische Kriegsschiffe

A Coin of

Ships usually were in use only for a few decades. There is a speculation that Caligula the Roman Emperor may have used this ship to transport a 104m long and 20 m diameter large obelisk from Egypt to Rome 250 years after the Giant Ship was build. It may have been placed somewhere as a kind of curiosity and have been used later once for the transport by Caligula. There is a story that maybe supports this. A lighthouse was build near Rome in Ostia and it was build on top of the wreck of a huge ship.

One of two other giant ships (one was a floating palace ) of Caligula anchored on Lake Nemi. The barges were around 70 m (200 ft) long and 18 m (60 ft) wide. Both ships were recovered from the sea in the period 1929-1932 after many attempts before. They were destroyed in 1944 by the German Nazis. (Photo courtesy Diana Nemorensis, some workers in the front are visible)

For more information: See )

(Abstract French)

Compare Size of Ships

Another Comparison including the Leontophoros of Lysimachos and the 187 meter long HMS Belfast ( Europe's last big gun armoured warship of World War II The HMS Belfast )

The Ptolemaic Dynasty

The Future: The Freedom Ship

German Reports

Die Kriegsschiffahrt zur Zeit der Griechen

Basch L. , The tessarakontores of Ptolemy IV Philopator. Mariner's Mirror, 55: 381-382, 1969

HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SHIP - General Bibliographies