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'Wasa' 1628 Swedish Warship, (With Plans)


Ned Loe

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Wasa (Vasa) 1628

 

Vasa (or Wasa) is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship foundered and sank after sailing about 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her maiden voyageon 10 August 1628. She fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannons were salvaged in the 17th century until she was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping lane just outside the Stockholm harbor. Salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961, she was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet ("The Wasa Shipyard") until 1988 and then moved to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The ship is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions and has been seen by over 29 million visitors since 1961. Since her recovery, Vasa has become a widely recognized symbol of the Swedish "great power period" and is today a de facto standard in the media and among Swedes for evaluating the historical importance of shipwrecks.

The ship was built on the orders of the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated in a war with Poland-Lithuania (1621–1629). She was constructed at the navy yard in Stockholm under a contract with private entrepreneurs in 1626–1627 and armed primarily with bronze cannons cast in Stockholm specifically for the ship. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king's ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However, Vasa was dangerously unstable due to too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability she was ordered to sea and foundered only a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze. The order to sail was the result of a combination of factors. The king, who was leading the army in Poland at the time of her maiden voyage, was impatient to see her take up her station as flagship of the reserve squadron at Älvsnabben in the Stockholm Archipelago. At the same time the king's subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship's structural problems or to have the maiden voyage postponed. An inquiry was organized by the Swedish Privy Council to find those responsible for the disaster, but in the end no one was punished for the fiasco.

During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around the Vasa's hull 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 herself have provided scholars with invaluable insights into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden.

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While the Wasa is a magnificent sight to behold in real life, the ship design is (as you mention)  fatally flawed. So let's not put her into the game, as she would sink every time she sail out of the harbour in more than a dead calm.

 

~Brigand

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Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't there also a much more modern version named the Wasa?  It was part of the player choice poll, Wasa (1778) 60-gun 3rd rate.  

 

Between the two Swedish designs, I would love to see the 1778 version, in fact it is my current top choice of ships not currently selected to appear.    The 1628 version, while an interesting looking design, definitely does not look seaworthy.  Way too top heavy which is probably why she floundered on her maiden voyage.  Also 1628 is before the cut off.

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While the Wasa is a magnificent sight to behold in real life, the ship design is (as you mention)  fatally flawed. So let's not put her into the game, as she would sink every time she sail out of the harbour in more than a dead calm.

 

~Brigand

 

 

Basically this. It was a terrible ship. Hell, it didn't even WORK as a ship. 

 

 

Vasa 1628 was an artificial reef. That's pretty much it. 

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Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't there also a much more modern version named the Wasa?  It was part of the player choice poll, Wasa (1778) 60-gun 3rd rate.  

 

Between the two Swedish designs, I would love to see the 1778 version, in fact it is my current top choice of ships not currently selected to appear.    The 1628 version, while an interesting looking design, definitely does not look seaworthy.  Way too top heavy which is probably why she floundered on her maiden voyage.  Also 1628 is before the cut off.

 This ^^

 

17th century ships are beautiful and the capitol ships very ornate but NA is in a later time period in ship design. BTW - lots of theories for the foundering in 1628 not just the basic design as this was how large warships were designed at the time. Which of course puts them at a disadvantage against a ship built in 1778, etc.

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Id prefer the 18th century Wasa to the 17th century Vasa,coz I was advocating for people to vote that during the poll.It also looked way better than any third rate and was shallower on the draught than most third rates.Thats my opinion

For the Vasa(17th century version)I wouldent mind it being added to the game(let the flak fly) as it looks abit like the La Couronne Galleon and dare I say an alternative?Just fix up up its flaws for the game BUT please,and for the love of everything holy please put the 18th century Wasa in the game first before you put the Vasa(17th century version) in

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 This ^^

 

17th century ships are beautiful and the capitol ships very ornate but NA is in a later time period in ship design. BTW - lots of theories for the foundering in 1628 not just the basic design as this was how large warships were designed at the time. Which of course puts them at a disadvantage against a ship built in 1778, etc.

 

Why do people keep saying this?  The time cut off is like 1680 - 1830 so covers a pretty board spectrum.  Yes we currently have mostly late 1700s to early 1800s designs but that isn't always going to be that way.  For example, the Ingermanland is a 1715 design so you really can't call it a late period in ship design.  Now I will fully agree that there is a pretty huge difference in the design of ships between the early 1600s and the late 1600s and those designed in the early 1600s really don't fit with the likes of a Constitution but there are tons of beautiful late 1600s designs that offer much more beauty and character without being outlandishly different in design and I am really looking forward to those making it in game at some point.

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Why do people keep saying this?  The time cut off is like 1680 - 1830 so covers a pretty board spectrum.  Yes we currently have mostly late 1700s to early 1800s designs but that isn't always going to be that way.  For example, the Ingermanland is a 1715 design so you really can't call it a late period in ship design.  Now I will fully agree that there is a pretty huge difference in the design of ships between the early 1600s and the late 1600s and those designed in the early 1600s really don't fit with the likes of a Constitution but there are tons of beautiful late 1600s designs that offer much more beauty and character without being outlandishly different in design and I am really looking forward to those making it in game at some point.

Hondas civic don't fit with lexus...but they are still on the :D road

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The Wasa sank just after leaving for the first time because her design was fatally flawed. The main shipwright for her had died not long after the keel was laid down, the king demanded more guns and more impressive dimensions, the ship had to be ready before schedule (king's orders), etc. etc. The result was a ship that was instable, due to a combination of to much weight above the waterline and too narrow a hull.

The issue was known to some people, such as the boatswain, who demonstrated the fact by having a bunch of sailors run from starboard to larboard and back again. He was ordered to stop because they feared she would capsize there and then. He could not add any extra ballast, because the gun ports where already quite low above the waterline. If you get the chance to visit the museum build around her, you should do so. The story is laid out very clear and it is interesting to see that those who could be blamed where above any conviction because of their rank and status (they didn't even appear on the hearing bout the disaster).

Is the hull a magnificent sight in the museum? Absolutely, it is one of the most impressive museum pieces to be found anywhere. Should such a flawed ship be brought into the game? Well, in my opinion? No, I would rather see her left out.

Cheers,

Brigand

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Vasa (or Wasa)[1] is a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship foundered and sank after sailing about 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her maiden voyageon 10 August 1628. She fell into obscurity after most of her valuable bronze cannons were salvaged in the 17th century until she was located again in the late 1950s in a busy shipping lane just outside the Stockholm harbor. Salvaged with a largely intact hull in 1961, she was housed in a temporary museum calledWasavarvet ("The Wasa Shipyard") until 1988 and then moved to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The ship is one of Sweden's most popular tourist attractions and has been seen by over 29 million visitors since 1961.[2] Since her recovery, Vasa has become a widely recognized symbol of the Swedish "great power period" and is today a de facto standard in the media and among Swedes for evaluating the historical importance of shipwrecks.

 

Tonnage: 1210 tonnes displacement

Length: Sparred length: 69 m (226 ft)
Between perpendiculars 47.5 m (155.8 ft)

Beam: 11.7 m (38 ft) Height: 52.5 m (172 ft)

Draft: 4.8 m (16 ft)

Propulsion: Sails, 1,275 square m (13,720 sq ft)

Crew: 145 sailors, 300 soldiers

Armament: 64 guns,

including:

  • 24-pounders—48
  • 3-pounders—8
  • 1-pounders—2
  • howitzers—6

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vasa-warship-2-650x488.jpg800px-Vasa_Museum_interior1%255B1%255D.j

 

swedish-warship-vasa4.jpgwhole-vasa-warship.jpg4-logo.jpg

 

The next time I go to Denmark gonna jump over to Sweden to see the Vasa ;)

Edited by Michelangelo
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