Swedish maritime archaeologists have discovered the long-lost sister ship of the iconic seventeenth-century warship “Vasa,” which sank on its maiden voyage, the Swedish Shipwreck Museum said on Monday. Launched in 1629, “Applet” built through the same shipbuilder as the well-known 225-foot “Vasa”, which is now on display in Stockholm after being rescued in the 1960s.
“Our pulse quickened when we saw how similar the wreck was to the Vasa,” said Jim Hansson, a marine archaeologist at the museum, who posted a video of the wreck on his online page and photographs on social media.
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The massive remains were found in December in a strait off the island of Vaxholm, just outside the capital, Stockholm, according to the museum.
Hansson said the structure and dimensions are “very familiar” to them, raising hopes that it could be one of Vasa’s sister ships.
While parts of the sides of the ship had fallen, the hull remained up to the lower deck, and the parts that had fallen showed two-level ports.
A deeper examination of the wreck was carried out in the spring of 2022, revealing important details of the shipment that in the past had only been seen on the Vasa.
The museum said major technical points, as well as measurements and wood samples, show that it is “indeed Applet, Vasa’s sister ship. “
It is now forbidden to dive at the site where the remains are located, the museum said.
In 2019, the same museum reported the discovery of two warships in the same area.
Archaeologists at the time thought one of them might have been Applet, but additional studies have shown that those ships were two medium-sized warships from 1648, named “Apollo” and “Maria. “
“With ‘Applet,’ we can load the key piece of the puzzle into the progression of Swedish shipbuilding,” Hansson said, adding that it allowed researchers to examine the differences between Applet and Vasa.
“This will allow us to see how giant warships evolved from the volatile Vasa to giants capable of controlling the Baltic Sea, something decisive in Sweden’s emergence as a wonderful force in the seventeenth century,” said Patrik Hoglund, another maritime archaeologist at the museum. Said.
Named after one of Sweden’s kings, “Vasa” was originally intended to serve as a symbol of the might of the Swedish army, but capsized after traveling just over 1,000 meters.
It was recovered in 1961 and is recently on display at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, one of Sweden’s most popular tourist spots.
According to the museum, the designer of either ship, Hein Jakobsson, learned that the Vasa’s proportions could lead to instability even before its launch and built the Applet wider than its unfortunate sibling.
When Sweden joined the Thirty Years’ War, Applet among the ships sailing to Germany with about 1,000 men on board, the museum said. After the war, the shipment was no longer considered seaworthy.
“Applet sank off Vaxholm in 1659 as a component of an underwater barrier that would save the enemy from reaching Stockholm via the sea,” the museum said.
Two ships were also ordered from the same shipyard: Kronan (the Crown) and Sceptre, and like Applet, they also served in the Swedish Navy and participated in naval battles.
The name of this story has been updated to correct the spelling of the ship’s name.