Today, visited The Vasa Museum. The Vasa is a wooden sailing ship that was the pride and showpiece of the Swedish navy and especially the king. It was completed in 18 months which is less time than it took to build the model of the Vasa in the museum.
Well, the Vasa sank within 20 minutes of its launch. It wasn’t designed well. It was top heavy possibly because of the extra tier of cannons the king wanted and because it wasn’t wide enough at waterline. It was incredibly ornate to symbolize Sweden’s power at the time. It was the king’s and Sweden’s floating ego trip. How fitting for it to sink.
After the Vasa was launched, within 1500 meters a wind caught the sails and the Vasa tipped, or heeled as sailors say, like it should, but it didn’t right itself. Water flowed into the open cannon ports and the ship sank.
The Vasa sat at the bottom of the harbor for 333 years and was finally raised in 1961. Then, it was restored and a museum was built around it.
I thought this museum would be a huge tribute to a pathetic ship but there were many interesting displays to learn about the ship and Sweden in the early 1600s.
The men in the photos are busts of two of the 30 victims of the sinking. Their skeletons, or reproductions of their skeletons, are in cases nearby.
The Vasa Museum is the most visited Museum in Sweden.
Also today, toured the Royal Palace. The place has over 600 opulent rooms.
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