colorful replicas
the stern sports elaborate decorations which were colorfully painted
the King had a clear view of his place in the hierarchy
a model in front of the real thing
after the visit we go back to the hop-on-hop-of pier
King Gustav II Adolf worked hard to build the Swedish Empire. For his many wars in the Baltic Region he needed a strong navy.
In 1625
he ordered to build 4 warships, including a flagship of formidable size and firepower as proof of Sweden's ambitions.
Being a King he allowed himself to keep changing the specifications like adding a second gundeck and more and heavier canons.
When
the
Vasa was completed in 1627 it was Sweden's most expensive project in history.
But she was also inherently
unstable and capsized within 2 km on her maiden voyage in August 1628.
The Vasa was recovered in 1961, prepared to stop
further decay and put on show in the purpose-build
Vasa Museum in 1990.
It is Scandinavia's most visited museum.
We visited in
July 2016. The low light conditions proved to be a challenge for making sharp pictures.
the masts on top of the Vasa Museum show the original height of the Vasa
each deck carried 24 pieces of 24-pounder canon
one of the bronze 24 pound canons
