Kailey Howard Shipwreck History and Data Research

GNM 2275 Impact of Shipwrecks November 20, 2021

The Vasa Shipwreck History and Data Research

Introduction:
The Vasa, a 17th-century vessel, is known for being the mightiest warship of its day.
During the Thirty Years’ War in Europe, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden ordered a heavy-duty
warship to be built in order to retain his naval presence and dominance in the Baltic. Composed
of two gun-decks, 64 bronze cannons, and a 450-man crew, The Vasa was to be a mighty vessel
(Matthews). Despite being one of the Swedish navy’s biggest achievements, the high-tech
warship would sink within twenty minutes of its first voyage. The reasons behind the instability
of the vessel have remained debated over the centuries, however archaeologists who have studied
the ship's remains theorise that the ship sank due to being designed and built by someone
inexperienced with building such well-armed ships, combined with the king’s rushing of the
building process (Eschner).
The Vasa was a beautifully decorated ship, preserved by the cold, oxygen-poor water of
the Baltic Sea that allowed the wood to be 95% intact when raised from the waters in 1961. Now
the remains of the ship can be found in Stockholm’s Vasa Museum, which allows for the
historical and anthropological study of the ship’s artifacts (Eschner). Today, the Vasa is the
world’s best preserved 17th
century ship. The Vasa is a
living artifact that tells stories
through art and architecture,
as well as naval history and
design technology.

The Vasa in Vasa Museum, Photo by: Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

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GNM 2275 Impact of Shipwrecks November 20, 2021

Methods:
I collected most of my information regarding the Vasa from the VasaMuseet website- the
webpage of the famous museum that currently houses the Vasa. This website provides various
up-to-date information regarding the preservation status and methods of Vasa, as well as in depth
descriptions of the ship’s history and related research. By using this source, I also am able to
provide high quality photos with proper credits to support my information.

Under the tab of ‘Vasa History,’ there is

significant information about the Vasa’s past, with a
focus on King Gustav II Adolf and how he influenced
the development of the ship. This section gives an
overview of the life of the King, who was son of King
Karl IX and Kristina of Holstein-Gottorp. As the first of
the Vasa dynasty, Gustav Adolf acceded to the throne in
1611. During this time, Sweden was rapidly developing
during three wars with Russia, Denmark, and Poland. It
was this wartime that caused Gustav Adolf to request
the warship we know as Vasa. To meet the king's
demands of a war machine, Vasa was launched in the
spring with hundreds of craftsmen (The Disaster.).

King Gustav II Adolf. Portrait attributed to

Jacob Hoefnagel
The ship was 69 meters long and more than 50 meters tall from the keel to the top of the
main mast. With ten sails, 64 cannons, and 120 tons of ballast, and hundreds of sculptures the
ship weighed over 1200 tons. The Vasa was a vast, beautifully decorated ship- however after
only 1300 meters of the dock, Vasa would sink with all its wooden carvings and bronze
weaponry. The reasons behind the instability of the vessel have remained debated over the
centuries, however archaeologists who have studied the ship's remains theorise that the ship sank

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GNM 2275 Impact of Shipwrecks November 20, 2021

due to being designed and built by someone inexperienced with building such well-armed ships,
combined with the king’s rushing of the building process (Eschner).
This information is pertinent because it provides accurate background information that is
necessary for developing the historical significance of the Vasa. With an understanding of King
Gustav II Adolf’s connection with the Swedish bureaucracy and inheritance of wars, connections
can be formed regarding his demands and developments of the ship. For example, by
understanding the severity of the wars during this Adolf’s era, it can be concluded that the king
composed the heavy-duty warship to be built in order to retain his naval presence and dominance
in the Baltic Sea. Additionally, because the wars were a prominent factor in the development of
Sweden’s exploding population, we can infer that Gustav II Adolf rushing of the building
progress was due to the intensity of the wars.
An understanding of Sweden’s war-status and government also builds a great
comprehension behind the art of the Vasa. After building the connection of Sweden’s art and
their war, we learn that the Vasa was not only a warship, it was a colossal work of art made to
provoke fear and admiration for king Gustav II Adolf of Sweden.

Vasa Sculpture Recoloration. Photo: Anneli Karlsson, SMTM

Discussion:
After sinking on its maiden voyage in
1628 in the Stockholm harbor, The
Vasa sat idle underwater for 333 years
before being salvaged in 1961. The
bottom of the Stockholm harbor
water’s provided ideal conditions for
preservation. While some microbial
degradation took place, conditions
under the water ultimately protected
the ship from damage. The dark bottom protected the ship from damaging ultraviolet light and

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the temperature of the cold water slowed down the chemical process responsible for decaying
wood. Also, the pollution of the 17th century water prevented an infestation of “shipworm,” a
wood eating parasite (Lewis). Because the Stockholm harbor has such shallow waters, Vasa sat
in a depth of only 32 meters, about 120 meters away from the shore (The Disaster).
Due to this depth and size of the ship, I would begin sonar mapping with the use of side
scan sonars. I would choose this equipment to start the project because the technology of a
dual-frequency side-scan sonar system would provide me with complete coverage of the
Stockholm harbor at optimum resolution. Because Side-scan sonar imagery is commonly used to
find possibly hazardous debris and obstructions on the seafloor, it is a perfect method to getting
an accurate glimpse of the shallow seabed where the Vasa laid (Bai, Yong, and Qiang Bai).

Side Scan Sonar of Schooner Typo. By: Michigan Technological University

Utilizing such sonar technology would provide me various advantages that other methods
would not be able to. Firstly, the communication speed of the sonar system is very high.
Scanning at constant speeds, side scanning sonars are extremely effective in providing me
information regarding direction and range. Secondly, sonar technology is often used for long
underwater distance projects, therefore I would have no issue using it in shallow areas such as
the Stockholm harbor. Lastly, using this type of sonar would cause no harm to the environment

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of the Baltic Sea where the Vasa lays (Applications, Advantages, Disadvantages of SONAR
Technology). Due to being surrounded by mostly land, the Baltic Sea is already more prone to
being endangered by pollution than other marine areas (Rheinheimer, G). This issue of pollution
is one of the reasons why I would choose a method that would not harm existing marine life, as
well as be able to operate through such polluted conditions.
After using side scanning to generate images of the wreck, I would move my focus to the
artwork on the ship. While the use of sonar technology may give me some images of the intricate
art covering outside of the ship- such as the three meter long lion Vasa figurehead- I want to
investigate the 400+ sculptures that line the insides of the ship. Because of how long the Vasa
has been underwater as well as the natural fragility of art, I would use human oriented methods,
such as scuba divers.
I would focus heavily on the artifacts of the ship because they are material evidence of
the history regarding Sweden during the era of King Gustav. The Vasa has 460 sculptures and
over 300 ornaments that all reflect a message about the vessel and its intentions (Vasa Up Close).
Because all these artifacts on the ship served a purpose of storytelling, they are historically
significant pieces of art. I find the most interesting exhibitions about the Vasa are the ones about
the endless art found on the ship. For me, being an artist is part of my identity, and I have an
unfaltering appreciation for history and storytelling that is preserved through all forms of art. In
this case, the art of Vasa was not limited to a canvas painting, a poem, or a song- but rather the
whole vessel that encompassed the meaning of being art.

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GNM 2275 Impact of Shipwrecks November 20, 2021

Vasa Stern, coat of arms. Photo: Anneli Karlsson, National Maritime Museums

To conclude, the Vasa is a historically significant ship. Despite being one of the Swedish
navy’s biggest achievements, the high-tech warship would sink within twenty minutes of its first
voyage. All the components such as the decaying process, water depth, location, size and even
environmental factors such as the pollution level brought me to the conclusion of my mapping
methods. Sonar technology would make up the bulk of the machinery used in my procedure,
while the other majority of my data and collection would be conducted through the use of a
professional scuba diving team. This is due to the level of preservation the ship is underwater- I
would rather take the chance of the risk of a small human’s error than a larger piece of
machinery’s malfunction when dealing with such fragile factors of the ship. I also would rather
collaborate with a team of individuals who are working hands-on with the Vasa than solely
referring to data given to me by technology, and then analyzed on more technology. Overall, my
methods reflect which parts of the Vasa I value the most, such as high detail mapping and
preserving the historical artwork. My choices also demonstrate my level of comfortability with
software and GIS technologies compared to working with a hands-on team oriented
environment.

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Citations

“Applications, Advantages, Disadvantages of Sonar Technology.” ETechnoG,

https://www.etechnog.com/2018/12/applications-of-sonar-technology.html.

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GNM 2275 Impact of Shipwrecks November 20, 2021

Bai, Yong, and Qiang Bai. “Sidescan Sonar.” Sidescan Sonar - an Overview |
ScienceDirect Topics,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/sidescan-sonar.

Eschner, Kat. “The Bizarre Story of 'Vasa,' the Ship That Keeps on Giving.”
Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 10 Aug. 2017,
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bizarre-story-vasa-ship-keeps-giving-18096
4328/.

Matthews, Roland. “Vasa.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vasa-warship.

“Vasa up Close.” Vasamuseet,

https://www.vasamuseet.se/en/exhibitions/new-exhibition-vasa-up-close.

The Sculptures of Vasa, https://www.vasamuseet.se/en/vasa-history/art.

“The Disaster.” Vasamuseet, https://www.vasamuseet.se/en/vasa-history/disaster.