The Swedish warship VASA is one of the most famous wrecks. Not only did she sink almost immediately upon launch almost 400 years ago, her wreck was rediscovered in the modern age in such good condition that the ship has new life as a museum vessel and time capsule of her age.

VASA or WASA built between 1626 and 1628. She 1,400 yards into her maiden voyage on August 10, 1628. Her cannons were salvaged but otherwise the ship was left at the bottom of Stockholm Harbor. She was rediscovered in the 1950’s and raised in 1961. The ship currently resides in a purpose built VASA Museum in the Royal National Park in Stockholm and is one of Sweden’s most popular tourist attractions.

This model is a fine and detailed representation of the ship, with a unique paint feature- she is richly painted and decorated on one side, as she would have been the day she was launched. The other side is the way the ship looks today, highlighting the beauty of the wood and the outstanding level of preservation of the vessel. The model sits on a fine wood stand with a name plaque with the ship’s details.

Per Wikipedia, “The ship was built on the orders of the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus as part of the military expansion he initiated in a war with Poland-Lithuania (1621-1629). She was constructed at the navy yard in Stockholm under a contract with private entrepreneurs in 1626-1627 and armed primarily with bronze cannons cast in Stockholm specifically for the ship. Richly decorated as a symbol of the king’s ambitions for Sweden and himself, upon completion she was one of the most powerfully armed vessels in the world. However, VASA was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability, she was ordered to sea and foundered only a few minutes after encountering a wind stronger than a breeze.”

“The order to sail was the result of a combination of factors. The king, who was leading the army in Poland at the time of her maiden voyage, was impatient to see her take up her station as flagship of the reserve squadron at Alvsnabben in the Stockholm Archipelago. At the same time the king’s subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship’s problems or to have the maiden voyage postponed. An inquiry was organized by the Swedish Privy Council to find those responsible for the disaster, but in the end no one was punished.”

“During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around VASA’s hull by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannons, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. The artifacts and the ship herself have provided scholars with invaluable insights into details of naval warfare, shipbuilding techniques and everyday life in early 17th-century Sweden. Today VASA is the world’s best-preserved 17th century ship. The wreck of VASA continually undergoes monitoring and further research on how to preserve her.”