Capsized single-levelled, open hulled ship to the right. Deep flat hull, triangular bow with concave stempost that ends in a very short "hook" oriented inwards. Short integrated bow projection that curves upwards. Incurving sternpost with two small protrusions on the outward side of its tip. There is a quarter rudder still in position, while another was probably painted in the hatched area next to it. Above the thick band which represents the hull is a thin raised rail that projects beyond the stem- and sternposts. The reserved area delineated between them is punctuated by eleven vertical stanchions which divide it into "rooms" and extend way above the railing.

Shipwreck scene with a capsized ship, drowning figures, corpses, and fish of varying sizes wrapped around the entire body of the vase. The figures are naked with crested helmets. They float horizontally, parallel to the ship. One of the figures has his head locked into the jaws of an enormous fish.

The vase represents the earliest painted figural scene found on Italian soil. The scene is clearly narrative in nature, capturing the moment immediately after the wrecking event. The figure directly beneath the ship appears to be swimming for his life, with one hand outstretched upwards. The figure having his head devoured by a giant fish is unprecedented and highlights the distress and horror of the scene. The horror of dying at sea which guaranteed that the deceased was denied a proper burial is expressed twice in the Iliad (Iliad 21.122-7; 21.316-23).

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