Introduction to the Broken Ship Fountain: The Broken Ship Fountain (Fontana della Barcaccia) is a 16th-century Baroque style designed by Bernini commissioned by Pope Urbano VIII. The water from the fountain first flows into the broken ship, and then slowly overflows from the four sides of the ship. In addition, the entire fountain is almost as high as the street level, and it really feels like a leaky ship is about to sink into the ground.