The Royal Swedish Navy's stately galleon, the Vase, is a vessel with an unparalleled history. Commissioned by King Gustav II Adolf in the early 17th century, the Vasa's ill-fated maiden voyage, subsequent sinking, and eventual resurrection as a museum piece make its fate one of the most fascinating ship stories.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Sweden was a rising power in Europe, and Gustav II Adolf aimed to strengthen his country's maritime dominance. The king wanted to have a well-armed, the largest galleon in the Baltic with a slender profile, with richly decorated tall superstructures, personally approving its dimensions and armament.
Gustav II's wish was fulfilled, but the galleon turned out to be too narrow, with too high superstructures at the stern and masts with poor stability. The area of sails was, 1275 m².
In the fall of 1627, the galleon was launched. After the construction was completed, additional guns were installed in the superstructures
On August 10, 1628, a crowd gathered in Stockholm harbor to witness the grandeur of the Vasa's maiden voyage. Excitement filled the air as the ship set sail. However, the voyage of "Vasa" was destined to be short. Almost as soon as she had sailed from the harbor, a light breeze tipped the ship to one side, and water began to pour through the open gun ports. The galleon, unfortunately, sank before the eyes of horrified spectators. According to various sources, from 50 to 400 people died.
For more than three centuries, the ship lay forgotten at the bottom of the Stockholm harbor. Although in the period of 1664-1665, under the leadership of Albrecht von Treilebenad, with the help of a diving bell, 54 cannons were retrieved by cutting underwater passages in part of the decks. And only in the 1950s, under the leadership of archaeologist Anders Franzen, a committee was created to search for and raise the galleon. In 1961, the remains of the galleon were raised to the surface.
The rescue operation was a massive undertaking that took years. Specially designed equipment was used to stabilize and lift the ship. The process was delicate and required careful planning so that the fragile ship would not fall apart during recovery.
The unique conditions of the Baltic Sea, including its low salinity and low temperatures, contributed to the exceptional preservation of the ship. This remarkable find gave archaeologists an unprecedented opportunity to study a 17th century warship in incredible detail. However, from 1962 to 1979, a preservative solution was injected into the ship's wood.
Since the 1980s, they began to collect found parts of the galleon (about 14,000 fragments, including 700 bas-reliefs, 6 spare sails). The galleon was placed in the Vase Museum in Stockholm, opened in 1990. By 2007, 25 million visitors had visited it.
The story of the galleon serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of unchecked ambition and hubris. While the sinking of the ship was undoubtedly a tragedy, its restoration and transformation into a museum piece provides valuable lessons in historic preservation and a fascinating window into Sweden's maritime history.
Source: vasamuseet.se/uk
