The Roman ship known as De Meern 1 was discovered in 1997 in Veldhuizen, The Netherlands. Initially, archaeologists chose to leave the vessel buried in the ground to help preserve it. However, in 2003, they decided to excavate it in order to prevent decay caused by rising groundwater levels.

Dating to around 200 AD, the ship was found right on the former frontier between the Roman Empire and Germania.

Measuring 25 meters in length, it was constructed from oak trees that had grown locally and were felled around 148 AD. Archaeological evidence indicates that the ship did not sink during a battle with the Germanic tribes but instead went down by accident.