Vasa Museum: The Most Impressive Ship Which Never Sailed
What happens when you build a ship so armed to the teeth, that it was meant to be the most powerful vessel of its time; laughing at the face of the scientific theories of buoyancy and weight distribution?
It sinks, of course! And during its maiden voyage too!
This is the story of the Swedish warship, the Vasa.
* And for over 300 years, the Vasa peacefully rested at the bottom of the sea until being successfully raised, whole and intact, in 1961!
* The Vasa was built under the orders of then Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus to serve as his flagship during his war with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
* Completed in 2 years (1626 - 1628), the Vasa was loaded with an astounding 64 cannons, with the intention of making it a floating fortress behemoth.
* Think.. Death Star in Star Wars!
* And it was going to be extremely fancily decorated (apart from being extremely armed)!
* And so it was on that fateful day in 1628, that the Vasa on its maiden voyage..
* Sailed... and slowly sunk..
* Covering a (sadly) laughable distance of 1,300 meters before sinking totally into the bottom of the sea off Stockholm harbor, where it fell into obscurity.
* How they were able to raise the Vasa is another incredible story in itself!
* But finally after 300 years, the Vasa stands with all its previous glory and grandeur, faithfully restored to look as it did; a cautionary tale in greed and arrogance in the face of common sense.
* Today, the Vasa is housed in its own museum, which can proudly claim to be the most visited museum in all of Scandinavia.
* Dad enjoying the various exhibits, being fascinated with warfare all his life.
* Me, also fascinated especially with the dioramas and historical trivia.
* Check out the intricate design of this ship of war!
* King Gustavus Adolphus looking victorious and smug! Despite the Vasa incident, he went on to become one of Sweden's greatest kings, leading the country to become one of the great European powers of the time.
* A few of the Vasa's 64 guns.. why you gotta weigh so much?!
* How... marvelous!
* Outside and across the Vasa Museum is the equally impressive Nordic Museum, dedicated to the cultural and socio-anthropological history of the Swedish people.
* Or.. Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants.
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