The Vasamuseet or Vasa Museum is located on the island of Djurgí¥rden in Stolkholm, Sweden. It is home to the Vasa, a 17th century warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was recovered after much searching on 14 Apr 1861. Remarkably, the ship remained largely intact even after over three centuries underwater, owing to the brackish nature of the water in which the ship sank.
The Vasa was built at the order of King Gustav II Adolf. Its construction took two years and the hull alone required over a thousand oak trees . On 10 Aug 1628, the Vasa set sail but, because the underwater part of the hull and the ballast were insufficient to support such a massive ship, the Vasa keeled over and sank after sailing a mere 1300 meters.
Of the original timber in the ship, over 95% survived. Six of the original ten sails have also survived. The ornamentation and detail on the hull has, of course, lost the paint that it originally had, although historians and artists have constructed replicas of the carvings and painted them as they may have been at the time the ship was constructed.
The total length of the ship, including bowsprit, was an estimated 69 meters in length and 11.7 meters wide . The height of the main truck above the keel was an estimated 52.5 meters.
Model of the Vasa
SOURCE: Model of the Vasa (Stockholm, Sweden), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 04 Aug 2010.
The Deck of the Vasa
SOURCE: The Deck of the Vasa (Stockholm, Sweden), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 04 Aug 2010.
Ornamentation on the Stern of the Vasa
SOURCE: Ornamentation on the Stern of the Vasa (Stockholm, Sweden), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 04 Aug 2010.
Painted Replica of the Ornamentation on the Stern of the Vasa
SOURCE: Painted Replica of the Ornamentation on the Stern of the Vasa (Stockholm, Sweden), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 04 Aug 2010.
Beakhead of the Vasa
SOURCE: Beakhead of the Vasa (Stockholm, Sweden), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 04 Aug 2010.
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Gunport of the Vasa
SOURCE: Gunport of the Vasa (Stockholm, Sweden), photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 04 Aug 2010.
Copyright © 2010 by Stephen J. Danko
So enjoying the photos of your trip. We seem to have taken pretty much the same trip 3 years ago and I am loving the details you have added to your pictures. They explain information I missed (or forgot) and I’m loving seeing the sights we didn’t get to see!