Almost fully intact 17th-century ship that has ever been salvaged
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Gps Coordinates / 59.3278952,18.0918613
Swedish Warship Viking-Royalty Fully Preserved War 360 Links
Galärvarvsvägen 14, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden
From the beginning of 1961 to 1983, Vasa was housed in a temporary structure called Wasavarvet ("The Vasa Shipyard") where she was treated with polyethylene glycol. Visitors could only view the ship from two levels and the maximum distance was only 5 m (17 ft). In 1981, the Swedish government decided that a permanent Vasa museum was to be constructed and a competition for the design of the museum building was organized.
Gps Coordinates / 59.3280402,18.0916362
Vasa was a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship sank after sailing roughly 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. She fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannon were salvaged in the 17th century, until she was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping area in Stockholm harbour.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link 59.3281026 / Gps Link 59.3281067 / Gps Link 59.3280751 / Gps Link 59.3280751
Gps Coordinates / 59.3281026,18.0916527 / 59.3281067,18.0916081 / 59.3280751,18.0916188 / 59.3277493,18.0913476
The ship was built on the orders of the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated in a war with Poland-Lithuania (1621–1629). She was constructed at the navy yard in Stockholm under a contract with private entrepreneurs in 1626–1627 and armed primarily with bronze cannon cast in Stockholm specifically for the ship. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link 59.3278127 / Gps Link 59.3281765 / Gps Link 59.3281508
Gps Coordinates / 59.3278127,18.0914814 / 59.3281765,18.0918127 / 59.3281508,18.09155
However, Vasa was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability, she was ordered to sea and foundered only a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link 59.328064 / Gps Link 59.3281363 / Gps Link 59.3280233
Gps Coordinates / 59.328064,18.0917645 / 59.3281363,18.0917093 / 59.3280233,18.0913964
The order to sail was the result of a combination of factors. The king, who was leading the army in Poland at the time of her maiden voyage, was impatient to see her take up her station as flagship of the reserve squadron at Älvsnabben in the Stockholm Archipelago. At the same time the king's subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship's problems or to have the maiden voyage postponed. An inquiry was organised by the Swedish Privy Council to find those responsible for the disaster, but in the end no one was punished.
Gps Coordinates / 59.328125,18.0916472
During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around Vasa's hull by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannon, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. The artifacts and the ship herself have provided scholars with invaluable insights into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden. Today Vasa is the world's best preserved 17th century ship and the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The wreck of Vasa continually undergoes monitoring and further research on how to preserve her.
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