Stockholm, Sweden - Vasa Royal Warship Museum

On the 10th of August 1628, the Swedish warship Vasa set sail for her maiden voyage from Stockholm’s central quay. However, just minutes after taking off, the largest warship in the Swedish Navy tilted and eventually sank, taking between 30 and 150 sailors. The Vasa incident of 1628 was an economic and political disaster for Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus II since Sweden was a superpower in the Baltic Sea region at the time.

Why Did Vasa Sink?

During the construction of Vasa, a Dutch shipwright miscalculated the ship’s stability, causing it to have a center of gravity problem. According to the original drawings, the initial calculations were fairly accurate. However, they were soon manipulated. Gustavus Adolphus intended to make Vasa not only a fierce battleship but a symbol of the Swedish Navy’s power as well. The resulting stability problem was caused by his installing more armament on the upper gun deck. Ballast (stones) was added deep inside the ship to partially compensate, but not adequately. During construction, there might also have been organizational issues. A Dutch shipwright died before the ship was completed, leaving his assistant in charge.

What Happened to Vasa After 1628?

After the ship sank in central Stockholm, most bronze cannons were recovered. In those days, divers used diving bells to submerge in the 32-meter-deep wreck. It wasn’t long before the Vasa project was forgotten. No one was ever found guilty and punished for this incident. Vasa remained untouched for more than 300 years. Stockholm’s central waters held historical treasures. As a result of the unique salt balance in the Baltic Sea, the wood has remained completely intact all these years. Vasa is one of the best-preserved ships of this period in the world. In the 1950s, Anders Franzén, a Swedish marine archeologist, began searching for the Vasa ship. Salvage work was started after he located the exact spot. Eventually, in 1961, the ship was raised to the surface using lifting pontoons and then dry-docked. A press team from several countries covered this unusual project, and it was televised live.

Preservation of Vasa

A study of the Vasa and its preserved artifacts, such as sails, clothing, food, and liquors, gives a complete picture of its whereabouts at this point in time. Several sealed liquor bottles were found, and some people had the chance to taste over 330-year-old brännvin (Swedish vodka). It has been a challenge to conserve wood since that time. The ship was kept in a dock for the first few years, maintaining high humidity. As a result of this initial preservation, the wood was allowed to acclimatize slowly and under control before being treated with polyethylene glycol, which penetrates the wood just like water would, thus giving it the stability the water provided for 330 years.

Vasa Museum’s Description

King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden’s flagship, the Vasa, capsized on its maiden voyage on the 10th of August 1628 minutes after leaving Stockholm (The Old Town). Since 1961, Vasa has been on display at the Vasa Museum in central Stockholm after being removed from the water. Various exhibits and guided tours are offered by the Vasa Museum.