Authors: Davide Corengia, Valeria Nava
Photo: Davide Corengia
It all started with a post I read on the Poverosub forum. Sector, the author of the thread, wrote about diving the remains of a wreck in the upper Lario. Intrigued (wrecks are my passion), I searched for information on this particular vessel, and the more I learned about its details and history, the more I wanted to dive.
The comballo was a large boat used to transport goods on the lake. It could measure up to twenty-five meters in length and five and a half meters in width, with a capacity of approximately sixty tons. It had a flat hull, characterized by sleek lines, rounded sides, and a great sweep of bow and stern. Propulsion was provided by a large rectangular sail, and the course was maintained by a huge lateral rudder placed on the starboard side.
The vessel featured in our dive was carrying a cargo of large rocks when it unfortunately encountered a storm, forcing it to seek shelter in a sheltered body of water behind the Piona promontory. Something went wrong, however; the cargo likely shifted suddenly, breaching the port side and allowing water to enter, causing it to sink within minutes. Of the two crew members, it appears that only one survived, managing to reach shore. It seems almost a tragic coincidence that the accident occurred in front of the famous Piona Monastery, built around the nucleus of the Abbey of San Nicolò, considered the protector of sailors.
After this information search, the day of the dive finally arrived. Having obtained permits to enter the Monastery area by car to bring our equipment as close as possible to the entry point, we immediately organized a dive with friends. The conditions were ideal: a warm early spring afternoon and a calm lake would allow us to get good light even on the bottom.
We began our descent slowly, following the gentle slope of the seabed; before us was only a vast expanse of mud, with algae forming large, dark green patches here and there. The depth gradually increased until, at twenty-seven meters, a flat area indicated the area where we should begin searching. We looked at each other as if to ask, "...will we find him?" when a shadow in the distance caught our eyes and the beams of our headlamps.
Found! The large rudder was clearly recognizable, still majestic despite decades spent underwater. Some nets covered the stern, but still left its outline visible.
A little further on, a row of stones; the heavy cargo was still there, forming a line connecting the stern to the bow. The hull was practically submerged in mud, only a few areas exposed, including what remains of the mast, which appears to have been snapped off completely, perhaps even by the wind during the storm. It's incredible that the wood had resisted so long; even the color and grain were still recognizable. The absence of fish, however, created a strange atmosphere, as if we were in the way... one last look and then we moved away, leaving the cabin to its rest.
We thus returned towards the exit point, the water temperature (6° degrees) was beginning to make itself felt and a final thought recalled that tragic day, which almost seemed to have been relived among the remains of the old wreck.
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