Vasa the Swedish Warship.
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EXIF: Nikkor 18 mm f/3,5 0,6 sec ISO-400 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)
This is a model of the ship.
Vasa (or Wasa) was a Swedish warship that was built from 1626 to 1628. The ship foundered and sank after sailing less than a nautical mile (ca 2 km) into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. Vasa fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannons were salvaged in the 17th century. She was located again in the late 1950s, in a busy shipping lane just outside the Stockholm harbor. She was salvaged with a largely intact hull on 24 April 1961. She was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet (“The Wasa Shipyard”) until 1987, and was then moved to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The ship is one of Sweden’s most popular tourist attractions and, as of 2007, has attracted more than 25 million visitors.
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EXIF: Nikkor 40 mm f/4,5 1,5 sec ISO-400 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)
Vasa was built top-heavy and had insufficient ballast. Despite an obvious lack of stability in port, she was allowed to set sail and foundered a few minutes later when she first encountered a wind stronger than a breeze. The impulsive move to set sail resulted from a combination of factors. Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, who was abroad on the date of her maiden voyage, was impatient to see Vasa join the Baltic fleet in the Thirty Years’ War. At the same time, the king’s subordinates lacked the political courage to discuss the ship’s structural problems frankly or to have the maiden voyage postponed. An inquiry was organized by the privy council to find someone responsible for the disaster, but no sentences were handed out.
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EXIF: Nikkor 18 mm f/3,5 1,8 sec ISO-400 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)
During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around the hull of the Vasa by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannons, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. The artifacts and the ship itself have provided historians with invaluable insight into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden. No expense was spared in decorating and equipping the Vasa, one of the largest and most heavily armed warships of her time, adorned with hundreds of sculptures, all of them painted in vivid colors. She was intended to express the expansionist aspirations of Sweden and the glory of king Gustavus Adolphus.
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EXIF: Nikkor 18 mm f/4 1/60 ISO-400 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)
Just before Vasa was ordered, work at the Stockholm shipyard was led by Antonius Monier, with Dutch-born Henrik Hybertsson as hired shipbuilder. On 16 January 1625, Henrik and his brother, Arendt Hybertsson de Groote, took over the shipyard and soon signed a contract to build four ships, two larger with a keel of around 135 feet (41 m) and two smaller of 108 feet (33 m).
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EXIF: Nikkor 26 mm f/4 1/60 ISO-400 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)
Vasa’s hull was complete enough to be launched in 1627, probably during the spring. After this, work most likely began on finishing the upper deck, the stern castle, the beakhead and the rigging. Sweden had still not developed a sizeable sailcloth industry, and material had to be ordered from abroad, some from France but also from Germany and the Low Countries. The sails were mostly made of hemp and partly of flax. The rigging was made entirely of hemp imported from Latvia through Riga. The king visited the shipyard in January 1628 and made what was probably his only visit aboard the ship.
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EXIF: Nikkor 18 mm f/3,5 1,1 sec ISO-400 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)
On 10 August 1628, Captain Söfring Hansson ordered Vasa to set sail on her maiden voyage to the naval station at Älvsnabben. The day was calm, and the only wind was a light breeze from the southwest. The ship was towed along the waterfront to the southern side of the harbor, where three sails were set, and the ship made way to the east. The gun ports were open, and the guns were out to fire a salute as the ship left Stockholm. Finally the great ship had begun her voyage.
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EXIF: Nikkor 18 mm f/3,5 2 sec ISO-400 (Click on the picture to see it in full size.)
After Vasa emerged from the lee of the city, a gust of wind filled her sails, and she heeled suddenly to port. The sheets were cast off, and the ship slowly righted herself as the gust passed. Soon another gust came, which again forced the ship onto her port side, this time causing water to flow through the open lower gun ports. The incoming rush of water caused Vasa to heel further, and she sank to a depth of 32 metres (100 ft) only 120 metres (390 ft) from shore. Survivors clung to debris to save themselves, and many nearby boats rushed to their aid, but despite these efforts and the short distance to land, 30 to 50 people perished with the ship, according to reports. The flags and the tops of the main and fore masts, still visible above the surface, leaned heavily to port because of ballast that had shifted during the sinking. Vasa sank in full view of a crowd of hundreds, if not thousands, of mostly ordinary Stockholmers who had come to see the great ship set sail. The crowd included foreign ambassadors, in effect spies of Gustavus Adolphus’ allies and enemies, who also witnessed the catastrophe.
source: In English Vasa In Norwegian Vasa In Swedish Vasa
12 Responses to “Vasa the Swedish Warship.”
Jean-luc
December 6th, 2009 at 07:40
A wonderful scale model. Thanks for the explanations. Have a nice Sunday.
Jean-luc´s last blog ..Au coeur des Pyrénées.
Anne
December 6th, 2009 at 09:38
Å ja, på det museet har jeg da vært en gang
helt utrolig å se, og ikke minst se bildene dine derfra nå igjen. Repetert historien ikke minst. Stockholm er en sinnsykt flott by det ja, ingen kan ta fra Svenskene det fakta, Oslo har lite å stille opp med i så henseende.
Jo ja, Morten, den vinsiden, brukte litt tid der jeg, laga liste til jula ut fra dine terningkast, he he.
Ja, ikke så at det tar helt knekken på lønningsposen til sykepleieren da, men noen gode tips fant jeg ja!! så denne jula ser man frem mot.
Ble litt forvirra jeg da av at dere hadde delt inn i hva vinen passet godt til…, men fant da ut av det til slutt, for her i huset (trøndere vettu, he he) ja, finner en en god rødvin driter en i om det er pasta, fjærkre eller biff en spiser.
Faktisk, ja, men ikke si det til en sjel…, men det har seg nå slik at risengrynsgrøt er sønnens favoritt, og DET ville han at vi skulle kose oss med en lørdag kveld faren var borte. Rødvin og risengrynsgrøt, ikke akkurat den optimale kombinsasjon, men det gikk!!
Ha en feiende flott søndag gutten!
Anne´s last blog ..A monochrome bench of the week
Morten
December 6th, 2009 at 09:53
Hyggelig at du bruker vinsidene. Når det gjelder mat til så blir det litt hva en føler for selv, så våre anbefalinger blir jo på hva vi føler passer best.
Jeg har drukket baileys til risgrøt så her kan alt prøves ut.
ElinSire
December 6th, 2009 at 10:17
For en flott båt! Den var kjempestilig og sikkert kjempemorsomt å studere den på nært hold. Flotte bilder viser du oss i hvert fal
ElinSire´s last blog ..Monochrome weekly | I want to feel free…
Rune
December 6th, 2009 at 13:43
Det var litt av ei skute du, snakker om detaljerik kopi. Spennende å få ta en titt og lese historien, denne har jeg ikke sett før.
Rune´s last blog ..Primstav
anki
December 6th, 2009 at 15:41
otroligt vackert gammalt skepp, vilket jobb dom gjorde på den tiden
har själv aldrig varit och sett det men måste nog åka iväg till huvudstaden och besöka ett och annat ställe snart..
ha en skön kväll
anki´s last blog ..Söndag morgon 2:a advent
Valkyrien
December 6th, 2009 at 16:54
Utrolig flott håndtverk de kunne på den tiden! Det er et museum jeg kunne tenkt meg å besøke ja!
…..fin som nissefar du!
Valkyrien´s last blog ..Today’s Flowers: To the love of my life
mimmi
December 6th, 2009 at 20:48
Jag har också varit och tittat på det
och jag håller med dig ..det var så himla vackert att få se på det i verkligheten .. man får så många fler intryck av skeppet 
.det var väldiga vackra bilder su har tagit på Vasa 
Den mittersta bilden som du gillade hos mig ..den är tagit genom framrutan på bilen ..om man ser noga ..så kan man se att det fönster nog behöver tvättas
ha en fin kväll
mimmi´s last blog ..Väntans tider
Morten
December 6th, 2009 at 20:51
Ja det var noe sjarmerende med det bildet Mimmi
Framed and Shot
December 7th, 2009 at 02:07
Der laerte vi noe i dag og!! Takker
Wenche
December 9th, 2009 at 00:30
Dette skapte gode minner, for meg riktignok:-) Har vore på museet og det er fasinerande å sjå igjen skipet. Det er eit utruleg skip og ein utruleg modell!
Wenche´s last blog ..Bålkos og lappar!
Inger Johanne
December 16th, 2009 at 23:29
Dette er et museum jeg har tilgode å besøke. Et “must” ved neste besøk, for dette ser både spennende og interessant ut!
Inger Johanne´s last blog ..Stakkars liten
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