Marine archaeologists in Sweden say they have discovered the sister shipment of a well-known seventeenth-century warship that sank and is now in a Stockholm museum.
Applet (Apple) is the sister ship of Vasa, a real warship that refloated in 1961 after more than three hundred years underwater in the port of Stockholm.
In 1659, Applet sank as a component of an underwater barrier intended to protect the Swedish capital from enemy fleets.
The precise location of the wreck has been lost over time, however, marine archaeologists working for Vrak, Stockholm’s shipwreck museum, showed on Monday that a shipwreck first discovered last December that it was actually an applet.
Experts, who discovered the remains near Vaxholm Island, just east of the capital, were able to verify Applet through wood samples and archival data, the museum said.
“Our pulse quickened when we saw how similar the wreck of the Vasa was,” said Jim Hansson, one of the archaeologists.
“The structure and hard dimensions looked very familiar. “
Visitors can see Vasa’s intricate wood carvings at the Vasa Museum, one of Stockholm’s most sensitive tourist destinations.
Experts were able to verify that the remains of the long-lost applet analyzed its technical details, wood samples and archival data, the museum said in a statement.
Several samples taken and analyzed after a moment of deep dive in the spring of this year, revealed that the oak for the ship’s wood had been felled in 1627, in the same position as the Vasa wood a few years earlier.
Parts of the sides of the applet had collapsed to the bottom of the sea, but the hull was otherwise preserved until a lower gun deck. The fallen sides had weapons ports on two other levels, which was thought to be evidence of a warship with two gun decks.
No resolution has been made to refloat the ship, which would be an expensive and confusing undertaking.
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Applet built around the same time as Vasa, by order of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf.
While Vasa capsized and sank minutes after leaving port in 1628, Applet was presented the following year and remained in active service for 3 decades.
Experts say the sunken Vasa lacked ballast to counter its heavy weapons.