Sinking of the Vasa
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Brightly colored and trumpeting the prestige of King Gustav II, with 64 guns the Vasa was the most powerful ship in the world. As the ship’s sails caught wind, it teetered hard to port, and suddenly the shouts of the sailors on board turned to screams. In front of hundreds of spectators and agents of other European nations, Sweden’s greatest ship sank after sailing only 1400 yards.
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Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #Vasa
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I was on a cruise and went on a shore excursion to the Vasa museum in 2019. It was fabulous. My only regret is that we were only able to spend a few hours there. It is worth a whole day.
I will add my voice to others in the comments, and say that if you find yourself in Stockholm, the Vasa Museum is an absolute “must see.” Not just a fascinating story, but a really well organized and informative museum.
And lies in a nice spot - the area is beautiful and there is loads of other things to see. The ABBA museum is close for one thing. ;)
@@ja37d-34 Personally, I prefer ABBA caned fish myself. 😜
@@sirbum1918 Yeah, they have some good stuff. The sardines, tuna etc.. ^^
No,the Vasa is not a "must see." It is expensive 160SEK ($16), and usually crowed. The Maritime museum in Stockholm is so much better, a good over view of a proud and successful history of Swedish maritime history. Several Swedish made boats there that had designs that were used for years. It is easy to spend 3 or 4 hours there, plus there is no fee to see the Maritime Museum. The Vasa was so poorly designed it never made it out of the harbour.
@@ja37d-34 , Abba do indeed belong in a museum ---- preferably a silent, static display, such as what you would see in a wax museum.
You forgot 1 important thing about the 1961 lifting of the Vasa. Some Finnish pranksters had heard about the project to lift the ship up. They were going for a trip to Sweden anyway, so they decided to prank the Swedish researchers by diving a bronze statue of the Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi to the ship's deck.
The area of the ship had been marked as a "military area" for the time of the lifting of the ship. the pranksters got by the military with a press card (one of the pranksters was a journalist).
They dove to the ship, left statue on the deck and left.
When the ship was lifted, the Swedish historians were amazed by the statue. Some thought it might be the statue of Hermes, the messenger / runner of the Gods from Greek Mythology.
After the pranksters Swedish tourist trip was over, they held a press conference in Stockholm, informing the public that the statue is of the Finnish runner. (And that they chose his statue, because his olympic career ended when the Swedes called him a professional before his last olympics, and he was kicked out.)
That’s a next-level prank! What planning 😂
Professional?
Boy I'll bet there were some red faced "experts" over that one.
@@JonesNate At the time, the Olympics was only to amauter athletes.
Yep. History of this prank deserves to be remembered. (Hint, hint..)
I took my 8 year old niece to the Vasa Museum this year. I wish I had a photo of her face as she pushed open the heavy door to the museum and was met by the sight of the HUGE ship towering above her. Even as an adult it's an amazing sight it always gets to me when I visit the museum.
ahhaha! i bet! good one.
Thankyou for sharing. I cannot travel far, but I got to tour the Steamboat Arabia in Missouri, and I found it quite fascinating.
Jag föreslår ett juniormedlemskap i Vasamuseets Vänner, för 8-åringen! Många unga som fascineras av historia och Vasa är med.
King Gustav II: "I want a ship that will trumpet my greatness for centuries after I am gone."
Ship Builders: "You got it."
In that ironic sense it was an unimagined success.
Myself I consider the ship an extreme long term investment for Sweden.
If you ever get the chance do visit the museum. It's amazing.
Vasa was one of the most beautiful ships ever built, i.m.h.o. I visited the old museum in 1978. Back then they were still constantly pouring liquid over the ship to preserve it. Still back then it was an impressive sight. I am planning a trip to Stockholm within the next couple of years to spend a couple of days at the new Vasa museum.
During construction both **Swedish feet** (of 29.69 cm) and **Amsterdam feet** (of 28.31 cm) were in use by different teams. Four rulers used by the workmen who built the ship have been found; two were calibrated in Swedish feet, of 12 Swedish inches, and the other two were calibrated in Amsterdam feet, of 11 Amsterdam inches. The use of different units of length on the two sides of the vessel caused the ship to be heavier on the port side.
Metric ftw
I am 68 now, but when I was 7 years old my father sat in the red chair in our parlor and proceeded to read out of the National Geographic Picture Book, titled Men Ships and the Sea. It was a sea tail about the Great Ship Vasa. He died 2 years later and it is the only time I remember him reading to me. Thanks for the story. Happy Trails
A tall wooden war Ship with sails full of wing is l think one of the most beautiful to behold......Thank THG🎀...Bye
The Vasa museum outshines almost any other museum I've ever been to. I spent close to four hours there in August of this year.
I saw the Vasa when I was in Stockholm about 10 years ago. At the time I'd never heard of the ship, for me it was just a visit to a museum to fill in an otherwise empty afternoon, but ended up being a fascinating few hours. I couldn't believe that the ship had spent 100s of years submerged. I've seen wooden ships of similar age recovered from the water with maybe a third of the substance left over. According to the early 1960s video footage documenting the recovery of the Vasa it actually floated to its berth without any support.
The information panels in the museum seem to give the king the blame for the sinking of the ship. Allegedly during construction he kept asking for changes making the ship larger, heavier and with more cannon ports which the shipwrights dared not refuse.
"When all else fails--blame a dead king!" 😄
Wish you had had time for the Maritime museum. It has several ships, gives a great overview of successful Swedish shipping. It is free.
The Baltic has a combination of factors such including cold brackish water which is poor in oxygen which means that wood can survive remarkably well. There are some wrecks in the deep sections of the Baltic that are remarkably well preserved despite almost 400 years under water.
What you saw 10 years ago was the traditional version of events that has been shown to be incorrect by more recent research. Investigations with modern technology has revealed no evidence that Vasa's design was altered during construction. And this is confirmed by surviving documents which shown that not only was the design changed so early that there was little impact on the construction but that Vasa's design was based on an existing French two decker from the start.
The decision that Gustavus Adolphus can be faulted for was arming Vasa with two full decks of 24-pounders, no one had done that before and it really pushed the abilities of his ship builders to the breaking point. In the case of Vasa their skill was not enough.
My wife and I visited the Vasa museum last May; intending to spend only a couple of hours, we were surprised that we had managed to use over 4. The ship and the story of her recovery , preservation and the wealth to artifacts recovered, including about 25% of her sails make a visit an absolute must.
The ship,that never should have been, is the only one to still be.
Awesome history.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Vasa museum a few summers ago, it was simply amazing... there is no other word for it.
Possibly the most favorite European site destination, but I have never heard of her. THG scores again and keeps this follower coming back.
Yes it is a must see. So glad I got to take it in. I was there before the New housing of the ship and they were still spraying it with poly to save the wood. I bought the model and have it in My house to this day.
Just looking at the blueprint it looks ludicrously top heavy.
I was able to see the Vasa during a trip to Sweden. Very impressive museum and achievement in recovering the ship.
I have been to the museum back in the 70's and it was impressive then, I would love to see it again. You did not mention the innovative preservation techniques that they have developed over the years since she was brought back up. When I saw her, they were still spraying her down with sea water, now they use a special chemical blend that will not destroy the iron fittings. Also, much of the preservation is paid for through the proceeds of Wasa Bread here in the USA. I also got to visit the Oslo Maritime Museum and the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo Norway, and I would love to see you do a video on those.
Shipwrecks always seem so interesting as well as tragic. People will forever try and second guess what could have been done. Truly, hindsight is 20/20.
I went to see the Vasa in her museum as a child in 1963. I remember my Dad telling the story of how she set sail and immediately sank. It is well worth the visit if you're ever in Stockholm.
I had the pleasure to visit the museum where the Vasa is. I can tell you , as an amateur-amateur historians, I was completely overwhelmed in hearing this story for the first time and having the ship 2 feet away from me! Great episode Lance!!
I have seen this ship twice now, never fails to amaze!
This is one of my bucket list items. I'd love to see the vasa!
Remember reading about this in popular science/or mechanics when i was seven years old. Thanks for the story.
Having been to the museum twice, I still learned a lot about the ship that I had never known! Thank you once more for sharing your hard work with us all good sir.
Love the video. I saw the Vasa when I was 16 in 1986. An amazing ship indeed. Thank you
I just realized I was still 15 when I was in Stockholm. I was in Upsala Sweden when i had my birthday. Please do a video about the cathedral there, or maybe why all the old Swedish churches are, well, quite unique.
One church I remember, was built by a guy that was lost at sea, survived on an island, and then he was rescued (eighteenth century ish). He built a church upon arrival back to Sweden. I remember it was all wood shake shingles and inside hung several ships
I had the opportunity to visit the Vasa in 2006. Very impressive museum
I remember doing a presentation in school about the Vasa when I was 10 or so, now long ago. I was fascinated at the time by these large wooden ships but chose the Vasa because of this incredible story.
Danke!
Thank you!
I remember Dennis Miller talking about European history and spoke about Sweden's "punching way out of it's weight class." Appropriate description. I remember when they salvaged the ship's guns in the 60s.
In High School (1973-ish) I read a story in an old (1961) National Geographic magazine about the raising and steps being taken to preserve and eventually put the Vasa in its own museum! In the back of my my mind, I guess I always wondered how it came out!
I remember that story.
This is a bucket list vacation destination for me.
I'd like to visit as well. Maybe I'll see you there!
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I only spent a day in Stockholm, but it is a beautiful city. The sail into Stockholm through the archipelago is superb as well.
It’s a great museum in a great city.
As a Stockholm resident, it’s a museum worth visiting
I’ve gone to that museum ever since I was a kid
@@mysticprophecy5395 just got back from Amsterdam, I wish I had more time to get there and see it in person.
I've seen the Vasa it is amazing
This vessel is an incredibly important find and does not get the recognition outside of Europe it deserves.
Never seen it but on my bucket list as a must do .
Thanks THG for posting and spreading the word on the VASA
I've been to that museum..fascinating
I first visited the Vasa Museum in either 1975 or 76 when I was stationed in Nürnberg, Germany. I drove from there to Stockholm, visited the museum then drove back after less than 24 hrs in the city. Later in 1982, while on a month long tour of Scandinavia, my wife & I toured it while in Stockholm. Another similar disaster happened to King Henry VIII's ship the "Mary Rose" about 80 years earlier in 1545. She sank while sailing out to battle the French navy, but had served since 1510. Not as well preserved as the "Vasa", her remains were raised in 1982 and can now be seen in a museum near the HMS Victory at the Royal Navy's Portsmouth base.
ruclips.net/video/NJorEFeox9s/видео.htmlsi=C5mQBGMaQl5wIMAg
I think it is typical for us Swedes to fail at something and then build a museum to show that failure.
But the good part is that are learning something from that failure. Or at least I hope so...
I went to the Vasa museum in Stockholm in 2019. It's a really well presented space and a great look into the past. They implied that the weight issue was due to the King demanding the addition of all the ornamental pieces you described; rather than demanding design changes. Fascinating place.
thanks
I visited the Vasa Museum last year. When you stand on the floor representing the waterline and look directly into the lower gunports, you can understand how poorly suited she was for open waters. Even 2 foot waves and a slight list from a moderate breeze would have submerged the lower ports, no matter how well the ship was balanced. Indeed, it's fortunate she sank so soon. If she'd made it out of the harbor, she might have taken on the full crew and capsized with the first stiff gust of wind in the open sea. Another observation was the towering stern decks crusted with tons of wood carvings. Those surely did not help her stability.
Thank you for this video. It brought back my memory of visiting this museum many years ago.
I had the pleasure of seeing this museum in the late 1990s. It is an absolute Wow! Film can’t do justice to that first sight of the ship.
Great work Sir thank you
I enjoy every episode, thank you THG&Crew!!!🙏👍⛵👻❣️
Yep, an outstanding museum, and a fascinating use for an unused WW2 dry dock! Thanks HG for telling the story so well.
I was there the year after they managed to raise it. It wasn't much to see...a wrecked black hulk being sprayed with a preservative liquid 24/7. It took a long time to put it back together, but it is certainly something to see now.
This is great 13 minutes! I always wondered why we have a museum about a ship that didn’t even make it out of the harbor before went down. It have always felt like the opposite of Swedish proudness. This video explained it great. I’ve been to the museum and my ex dad was one of the crew salvaged it from the bottom. Just last year they found the sister ship on the bottom a bit further out in the beautiful archipelago, also in great condition. This one will be left on the bottom.
I agree . The Maritime museum in Stockholm is so much better. It represents the best of Swedish ship building and a history to be proud of. Plus it has fee free entry as of this writing. I have seen the Vasa museum, will not spend 160 SEK to see it again
My Swedish sister-in-law commented on the irony that the best museum in Stockholm is of a technological fiasco.
The Vasa is a prime example of the customer changing their requirements.
I have studied and built models of many sailing ships over the years and Vasa is narrower than others. But I like big bottoms.
excellent, thanks.
i'm fascinated with the Great Dismal Swamp and the Bacon rebellion. the use of limelight in the dredging of the ditches... the connection to Michael Faraday. Drummonds walk to the gallows. gads, it needs retelling.
Thank you for making a youtube clip about this fiasko. Everybody who sees this should visit the museum when you visit Stockholm.
What a fantastic historical story……loved every minute of this….Thank you so much.
Thank you very much!
I had the pleasure some years ago (ca. 1979) of meeting Leigh Kenyon (not sure about the spelling) who filmed a documentary about the salvage operation that recovered Vasa from the seabed. He was a fascinating old gent to talk to and Vasa was quite the story to tell.
Although I'd heard of the Vasa many times before (it was rather infamous), I knew THG would fill in many details I never heard. Great video!
I got to visit the Museum! Awesome, put it on your bucket list! Thanks for sharing.
30ish years ago I built the old airfix model of the Wasa, which despite not being fully rigged looked okay and had it mounted on a plinth for display but unfortunately it had its own disaster courtesy of a house move and unlike the original couldn't be salvaged. Didn't know the full story behind its construction so thanks for relating it THG.
I thought you were going to say that it sank in your bath tub.
@@JackSmith-hx8zh 🤣
I've been to the Vasa museum, and it's great to see the story here in THG! The recovery of the guns after the sinking, and the search for and raising of the Vasa could be their own videos.
Excellent episode. I was unaware of this incident. Thanks.
I wish I'd known about the museum when I was a kid and traveled to Swedeen!
My brother visited the museum and came away deeply impressed. 😢He highly recommended it to anyone visiting that part of the world. The preservation of the wreck reminded him of the many wrecks perfectly preserved in Lake Superior’s cold waters…
I read an article once recently about the recovery operations at the wreck of the Vasa and it is a truly remarkable story in its own right.
One of my favorite museums in Sweden, and there are many great museums in the country. The size of the ship and intricate designs are breathtaking. Thanks History Guy!
Visiting the Vasa is very high on my bucket list!
It's fantastic. I've been there 4 times and plan to visit again this week.
Thank you for sharing this!
Congratulations on the new History Channel job!
Thank you. It was just a guest spot.
OIC, maybe it will become a reoccurring guest spot, well anyway, love the channel, kinda reminds me of the late Paul Harvey..
We visited in the summer of '88. It was the vacation of ships. We saw the Vasa, Warrior, Victory and the Norwegian Viking ships. Great vacation.
i visited and was heavily impressed by all this sculptures on a warship. Even a small Cathlic monk looking out of a decoration roof... best off all is the reference to modern project planing, if you are involved.
While it was a disaster many more lives were saved because of changes in subsequent ship building. We Visited the museum When The kids were small. Fascinating. Reminds me of the El Faro, described as 'tender' meaning slow to right itself after a roll. Lost with all hands in 2015
I remember seeing a display of Vasa artifacts, at a local mall, in the early 60's.
I've been to the Vasa Museet and it is super cool. You know they found beer in that thing that was still good to drink? It was preserved somehow by the ocean and there are a few studies on how.
Darn it! No, Pirates! Still a good tale no matter what. I remember the National Geographic magazine covering the Vasa. It was a very good read, and the photographs were excellent.
You can een see the Dutch heritage within the ship design itself. It's part of why I love this ship.
For the lower gundeck, that was positioned far to low to even make any sense. It would have taken on water with even the smallest amount of water by turning or wind. There is also a very high chance that the Swedish king at the time is the cause to start with as he had no knowledge at all about the subject to start with. Yet did want his ideas added to it.
I have the impression that the crew or the captain wasn't experienced enough. The lower deck gun ports on such ships were always kept closed when under sail and by rough weather to stop water entering and only opened in battle when the ship was leaning in the other direction. It was one of the gun crew's jobs to close the gun ports when ordered to before the ship leaned in the wrong direction.
It's suspected that the main reason the Mary Rose sank was because the Spanish speaking gun crew didn't understand the order to close the gun ports and only realised the danger when it was too late.
@@mikethespike7579 I think another reason all the gunports were open at that time was to give the crowds who were ashore watching the maiden voyage a good look at what their taxes had paid for! No wonder they were so mad!
"When all else fails--blame a dead king!"
@@mikethespike7579 From what I have gathered, the crew had drank a lot of schnapps. Sweden didn't have the Systembolaget and strong drunk driving laws back then
And I am afraid the Swedish Moderates, the party in control, will screw up Sweden as bad as Gustavus Adolphus messed up the Vasa.
I first learned of the Vasa in 1961 when National Geographic documented its recovery. I finally got to see her in the museum several years ago. . It was THE highlight of our European trip.
Great video thank you
I was so impressed with Vasa, much more complete than our British equivalent Mary Rose. Also the whole thing is smeared with basically lip balm and it continues to work preserving the ship 👏
The Mary Rose served for 33 years. The Vasa... maybe 45 minutes. Hope I get to see the Mary Rose someday, I didn't know about it till you mentioned her. If you get back to Stockholm, go to the Maritime museum. It is so much better, they have several small ships that were designed so well they served for years. Plus it is free entry.
The Vasa is a sight to behold! It is enclosed in it’s own museum. I would highly recommend going to see it when you have the opportunity travel to Stockholm.
Not to take anything away from THG, but naval historian Drachinifel has at least two great videos featuring the VASA if anyone is interested:
Vasa - From Concept to Maiden Voyage - ruclips.net/video/Wp37g7Edjpo/видео.html
Vasa - Sinking, Wreck, and Salvage - ruclips.net/video/jH9wjBM7bFE/видео.html
Hi History Guy, what had plagued "Wasa" was probably a design flaw or she was overloaded, pride does come before a fall they say.
As a Dane I can listen to this story all day long.
How many Swedes have you chased across a field?
As I can listen to a story about a stroll on the ice ;-)
I'm so glad that we finally figured out that it is better to be brothers in arms, than brothers _at_ arms.
@@bodan1196 my ancestors actually built the ramparts of Copenhagen
@@samiam619 one, but it was his own fault
And I was too fat to move
If I had to pick a favorite museum experience, my first visit to the Vasa Museum would be a likely contender.
I visited the restoration site back in the early 70’s. A myriad of piping was spraying a preservative solution over the entire ship because if the wood were to dry out it would likely crumble away into sawdust. We were told that wood boring worms do not live in these waters thus accounting towards the preservation.
I will definitely have to visit that museum if life allows! The only thing that might have made this better would have been some Polish pirates!
We have been to the museum. Very impressive!
I agree with the other commenters, going to the Vasa Museum and the area around it is a must see. It is beautiful and very informative.
The consolation being - they were building a lucrative museum 300 years in the future.
I used to have a National Geographic from 1961 or 1962 that told the story of the finding and raising of the Vasa. The guy who found her used a pipe on a string with a sharpened end, and a string on the opposite end, that he dropped into the water in the hopes of it “coring” the wood of the ship. It worked, he pulled the pipe up after a drop and it had a chunk of blackened wood in it. It was a very unique way to locate a ship.
Saw it 2 days ago. Wonderful.
Great video.
Modern investigations of the wreck showed the most likely factor was the height of the decks, which were unusually tall, rather than it just having two gun decks. The height of the gun decks, with the weight of the guns, added significantly to a higher centre of gravity, which affected the Vasa's roll.
Got some rocking outro music playing !!
They attempted to keep the ships in line. That's where the Vasa Line came from!😉
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally!
Would recommend anyone visiting Stockholm should go and see the Vasa,truly a wonderful sight.
Added to the bucket list!
I'd love to see it. I'm disappointed that no Spanish warships of the era survived. They were also beautifully constructed but top-heavy af
once i red that spanish galleon were mostly mass produced in Barcelona. In a visit to the city i just could see the outside of the museum they build.
The Swedish Maritime Museum is much better than the Vasa museum, if you go to Stockholm. Has several well designed ships that made voyages and returned everyone safely. Entry is free, the Vasa museum costs 160SEK (€17)
@@shinnam The Maritime Museum is great, but they only have the museum ships (outside the Vasa museum) - mostly a lightship and icebreaker - no other ships at the museum in it self. I guess you are thinking of the models. They have beautiful old - and new - ship models. But that isn't quite like meeting the sight of a big war ship from 1628 just inside the doors 🙂
Especially the flag ship and one of few triple gun deck ships of her time Sátisima Trinidad
I have the time/life book from the 70's that has an essay about the recovery of the Vasa. It's great to see the work they have done on her. It's proof that if a historic ship is maintained it has be a great draw for the public.
Been there, seen that, it is EXTREMELY cool!
I was always fascinated by the Vasa story, after reading about it in National Geographic in the 1960's. I suspect had she survived her maiden voyage, her combat career would have been very short lived, particularly after she fired her first broadside!
I got to see the Wasa (pronounced Vasa), in 1974. She was still being preserved at that point, with several hoses running water over the wood of the hull and superstructure. It's nice to see her fully preserved now.