#Titanic #warships #sank #maiden #voyage #years #admire #face #face
Sweden, the military superpower of the modern age
On August 10, 1628, the ship that was intended to be the pride of the Swedish navy, and named after the Swedish royal dynasty, set out on its maiden voyage from Stockholm. Vasa. However, the first trip was also the last, because after traveling 1,300 meters, the ship sank off the coast of the Swedish capital, 30 of the 150 crew lost their lives.
The Swedish fleet and II. Adolf Gustav for the Swedish king a Vasa its sinking was much more than a financial loss: the prestige of the Swedish kingdom and the military was dealt a severe blow. II. Gusztáv Adolf spent 18 of his 21-year reign in warfare: he fought against Denmark, Russia, and the Polish-Lithuanian Union. The latter III. Zsigmond It was led by the Polish king and Lithuanian grand duke, who also came from the Vasa house and was a cousin of II. Gusztáv to Adolf.
II. King Gustav Adolf of Sweden in a contemporary painting. Source: Wikimedia Commons
The conflict between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Union was also a family feud, because III. Sigismund was also King of Sweden until 1599, until his uncle, IX. Charles, II. Gusztáv Adolf’s father did not push him off the throne. Behind the conflict for the throne was also a religious conflict: while IX. Károly was a Lutheran, which by then had already become the official religion of Sweden, III. Zsigmond professed the Catholic faith. When the Vasa warship ran (would have) out to sea, II. Gusztáv Adolf III. He waged war against Sigismund in Poland. Intended to be the flagship Vasa his disaster therefore came just at the worst time for the Swedish king; it is true, apart from the loss of prestige, it did not significantly influence the course of the Swedish-Polish war.
Sweden was one of the most important military powers in Europe in the early modern period, II. Gusztáv Adolf was one of the most influential rulers of his time.
In 1630, he also intervened in the Thirty Years’ War, and Sweden became the leader of the Protestant countries in the conflict with the Catholics. He went all the way to Bavaria with the king’s armies, but on November 6, 1632, he lost his life in the Battle of Lützen, which was nevertheless won by the Swedes.
Finally, the military power of the Swedes Peter the Great It was put an end to Russia, which in the Great Northern War conquered the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea from the later St. Petersburg to Riga. During the Napoleonic Wars, Russia also acquired Finland from the Swedes, who then accepted military neutrality and stayed out of all European war conflicts. This more than two centuries of neutrality was put an end to by NATO accession, which became official on March 7 this year.
A Vasa 1:10 scale model, with the ship in the background. Source: Karolina Kristensson, Vasa Museum/SMTM
The pride of the Swedish Royal Navy
But let’s go back to the 1620s, to be precise January 1625, when II. Gusztáv Adolf concluded a certain contract Henrik Hybertsson with Dutch master shipbuilder a Vasa for the construction of a warship and three more ships. Construction began in 1626, but in the meantime Master Hybertsson fell seriously ill and died in the spring of 1627. However, this did not put an end to the construction of the ship, which lasted until 1628.
A Vasámaster Hybertsson designed impressive dimensions. The ship is 69 meters long and more than 50 meters high, equipped with ten sails and 64 cannons, located on two gun decks. The back of the ship is a giant work of art, with a huge royal coat of arms and numerous statues – not one figure has been given a terrifying head. The monumental work displayed the greatness and power of the king on the one hand, and served to deter the enemy on the other.
A VasáThere are about 700 sculptures and decorations. On the front of the ship are statues of 20 Roman emperors, as well as a lion holding the coat of arms of the Vasa dynasty. The lion is also the symbol of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. With the depiction of the Roman rulers II. Gustavus Adolphus wanted to indicate that he was the rightful heir of the Roman emperors, and that Sweden was the successor of the Roman Empire. Many statues depict Greek and Roman mythological gods and heroes (such as Hercules) or biblical figures (such as King David). But the main enemy of that time, Poland, also appears: from the two shadow chairs on the foredeck of the ship, for example, those who were doing their work could see the caricature-like statues of two Polish nobles. Although it is no longer visible on the ship, the researchers found out that the statues were painted one by one, so the Vasa in its heyday, it was resplendent in gaudy colors.
A Vasa back part, a complete work of art. Source: Mikael Dunker, Vasa Museum/SMTM
The first and last way
On August 10, 1628, in front of a crowd of several thousand, including foreign ambassadors, he set out on his first voyage from the port of Stockholm to the Vasa. About 150 people were on board, mainly the crew. The soldiers would only be hired later, and then, according to the plans, the Vasa would have gone to war against Poland. As he ran out to sea, the cannons were fired, and then the Vasa continued his journey between the islands of Stockholm.
After traveling a few hundred meters, the ship was hit by a strong gust of wind, as a result of which it tilted on its left side, but it was still managed to straighten out. Then came an even stronger gust, and the ship heeled to port again, but at this point they could not right it, as water began to flow in through the gun portholes on the lower gun deck. From there the water went into the hold and
the Vasa sank within a short time,
32 meters deep, only 120 meters from the shore. One of the most monumental warships of its time After traveling 1300 meters he did it underwater.
About 30 people lost their lives, one of whom we know by name, Hans Jonssont, who was originally appointed captain of the ship, but in the end someone else got the post. The rest of the dead were members of the crew and some of their relatives, as family members were also allowed on the first trip.
But what caused the Vasa loss? In part, of course, the errors of engineering design, but the most important factor was human frailty: excessive ambition, or as the ancient Greeks called it, the hubris. II. Gusztáv Adolf wanted to demonstrate his own greatness with the jewel of the Swedish navy, so he ordered the construction of a monumental ship. The king’s ambition is also shown in such details as, for example, he wanted 72 cannons on the ship instead of 64, but this turned out to be impossible. Master Hybertsson tried to meet the monarch’s expectations and really designed a monster.
A Vasa in the museum named after him. Source: Anneli Karlsson, Vasa Museum/SMTM
The XVII. In the 19th century, engineering sciences were not yet at such a high level as they are today, and they could not even make exact calculations about the dimensions at which the ship could survive on the water. Although Hybertsson was an experienced master shipbuilder, at the time they were based only on experience, not on calculations, so the Vasa its design and construction was actually an experiment. Many ships proved to be unstable on their first voyage, and were rebuilt in the light of experience. THE Vasa his tragedy was that he met his end too quickly and his mistakes could no longer be corrected.
Engineering-wise, the fundamental problem was that
the part of the hull above the waterline was too high and heavy compared to the part below the waterline.
Thus, the ship’s center of gravity was too much above the water, as a result of which even a small gust of wind could easily overturn the ship’s hull. Moreover, the captain Sister Hansson he also made the mistake of ordering that the gun ports be left open. If they had been closed, it is not certain that the water could have engulfed the ship so quickly, and perhaps there would have been a chance to save it. In addition, the 120 tons of stone ballast proved to be insufficient. If there had been more ballast on the bottom of the ship, the center of gravity of the ship would have been lower and it would not have been able to capsize so fatally.
A Vasa deck. Source: Anneli Karlsson, Vasa Museum/SMTM
Fighting in Poland II. Gusztáv Adolf was immediately notified of the disaster. The king was of course furious when he heard of the fiasco and demanded that those responsible be punished. However
the investigation ordered by the State Council ultimately found no one responsible.
He didn’t exactly want to find someone responsible, because there were two candidates for this role who couldn’t be punished: Master Hybertsson, who had been dead for more than a year, and the king himself, who set unrealistic expectations for the construction of the warship. The master’s plans were approved by the king himself, so the commission of inquiry could not have found an explanation for the disaster that would not have resulted in II. They would have reached Gusztáv Adolf.
Vasa emerges from the wave grave
After sinking the Vasáthey tried to raise him from his wave grave several times, but the technology of the time proved to be unsuitable for this. Cannons were still relatively easy to bring to the surface, but valuable objects, most of which were brought up between 1663 and 1665 thanks to the invention called the diving bell, and then sold abroad. None of these remain today, only the few preserved for posterity, which three centuries later, in Vasáwere released from the captivity of the water together with
Gun ports a Vasán. Source: Åke E:son Lindman, Vasa Museum
In the 1950s, a Swedish engineer and amateur archaeologist, Anders Franzén began searching for sunken ships in the waters of Stockholm. In 1956, the search was successful and they managed to bring up a small piece of the Vasáfrom. Franzén then convinced the right people, including VI. Adolf Gustav the then Swedish king to give money to raise the sunken warship.
A project that has been going on for many years has finally begun
On April 24, 1964, Vasa was pulled out of the wave grave.
Just like his first journey, his rescue was followed live by thousands of Stockholmers from the shore. Of course, this was by no means the last step, because then another project that lasted for many years began: the cleaning, restoration, preservation of the ship, bringing to the surface the parts that have not yet been salvaged. Although most of the ship’s hull remained intact, a long puzzle game began, while it was also necessary to ensure that the ship did not dry out, because in this case the wood, which had been in water for 333 years, would have completely collapsed. Therefore, the ship was first continuously sprayed with water and then with a special chemical.
A Vasát was first stored in a temporary museum, where the conditions were not suitable for visiting, so planning for a permanent exhibition space began. The unique ship find was finally transferred to its current location in 1989, in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm.
The Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum, considered one of Stockholm’s most popular attractions (The Vasa Museum) is located on the museum island of the Swedish capital, Djurgården. It received a total of 1.5 million visitors in 2019, the peak year so far.
The Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Source: Anneli Karlsson, Vasa Museum/SMTM
The central attraction of the museum’s huge space is, of course, the Vasa, which can be admired on a total of seven levels from the bottom of the ship to the top of the sails. There is an exhibition on each level. On the lowest level, for example, the skeletons of the found victims were exhibited, and although we do not know their names – except for one – the archaeological and anatomical examination of the remains reveals many of their secrets: how old they died, what they ate, what diseases they had – and since some pieces of clothing were also preserved intact , we also know how they dressed.
On another level a Vasáwe can see objects found in or around it, from weapons to coins to everyday objects. From the examination of the skeletons and the material finds, we can learn a lot about what life was like on a warship in the first half of the 1600s, and in Sweden in general at the time.
What was a disaster for the people of that time is a unique sight and historical memory for the people of today. THE Vasa not a shipwreck 98 percent of the original ship remainedso we can almost see this sailing warship, which has sunk almost 400 years ago, in its entirety.
Cover image: a Vasa in the museum named after him. Source: Anneli Karlsson, Vasa Museum/SMTM
