July 21, 2018 - August 28th 1628 was a Sunday in Stockholm Sweden . It was clear and breezy that afternoon and a crowd of dignitaries and commoners had gathered near the wharf of what is now Old Town Stockholm. Only about 15,000 people lived here at that time.
They were there to see the launch of the Vasa, the King’s flagship. Built in only 2 years she was the most intimidating warship ever built. She had a narrow beam and a shallow draft. This made her fast. She was over 4 stories tall and weighed 700 tons. She bristled with 65 custom bronze cannons- a huge number since most ships only carried around 28. She was a work of art and designed to be lethal.
The King wanted this day to be impressive. Wives and children of the men were allowed on board. He planned a broad side salute so all the gun doors were open including the lower level which were only a few feet above the water line. A light breeze filled the sails and the great ship began to move. She slowly traveled about 1200 meters into the harbor when a stronger breeze hit her.
She was too tall and off balance. She listed to port, but then righted herself. Everything was ok. Then a second gust hit. The ship listed again this time to the open gun ports. Water poured in and 15 minutes after she was launched, she sank in 90 feet of water. 50 people died.
There the Vasa lay in the brackish water for 333 years. In 1961, she was discovered remarkably intact. She was raised and today 98% of her is original. She is the finest specimen of ancient sailing ship in the world. These are just a few pictures of her in this remarkable museum.
Epilogue - She had a sister ship built one year later. They changed her width by only one meter. That was enough to change the stability and she sailed for thirty years. Despite the mistakes in design of the Vasa, no one was ever punished.
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