The Vasa Museum, the most visited museum in Scandinavia |
The Swedish warship Vasa sank in Stockholm Harbor on its maiden voyage in 1628 |
1/10 scale model of the Vasa under sail |
Model of the Vasa as it begins to capsize |
Two gundecks made the ship top-heavy and unstable |
The maiden voyage was less than 1 mile |
Diving suit of the 1950s & 60s |
The wreck landed upright on the harbor floor in 32m of water |
The Vasa was rediscovered in 1956 |
The Vasa was partially raised in 1959 and taken to shallower water where the hull was repaired |
The Vasa was raised to the surface in 1961 |
The Vasa has been housed in the current museum since 1990 |
Model of the Vasa with sails set |
1:10 scale model of the Vasa with sails set |
Model of the Vasa showing what the original colors might have been |
Colored model of the stern of the Vasa |
The upper transom of the 1:10 model, the most decorated part of the ship |
Colored model of the stern of the Vasa with the captain's cabin |
The model makes it clear to see how the Vasa could have been top-heavy |
Vasa Museum |
Lion Figurehead of the Vasa |
Front view of the Vasa |
Light through open gunport on the Vasa |
Wood carvings of Roman Emperors on the port bow (beakhead) of the Vasa |
Port bow and bowsprit of the Vasa |
Carvings next to the opening for the anchor cable, port side of the Vasa |
Musketport and gunport, Vasa |
Warriors of King David on the port stern quarter of the Vasa |
The Warriors of King David, Vasa |
Warrior of King David on the port side lower quarter gallery |
Aft of the Vasa with the rudder and stern chasers |
Arms of the Vasa Dynasty on the stern between the captain's cabin windows |
Sculpture of Hercules on the port side of the stern |
Painted reproductions of sculptures from the Vasa |
Arms of the Vasa Dynasty illustrate the ship's name as a vase (bundle of sticks) held by cherubs |
Painted reproductions of sculptures from the Vasa |
Painted reproduction of the port side Roman Warrior |
Sculptures on the starboard stern of the Vasa |
Top of the rudder and stern chaser gun ports of the Vasa |
Rudder of the Vasa |
Starboard stern galleries decorated with sculptures |
Detail of sculptures on the starboard stern galleries of the Vasa |
Startboard stern gallery with a gunport and the aft mast |
The Vasa's main armament consisted of 46 24-pound guns |
Roaring lions on the gunport proclaimed the king's power |
Looking through a gunport to see the base of the mast passing through the gundeck |
The Vasa's 46 24-pound naval guns were distributed across 2 gun decks |
When the ship was anchored, the heavy anchor cable was belayed to the Anchor Bitts |
Foremast of the Vasa - only the lowest of the 3 segments survived |
Starboard bow with the bowsprit of the Vasa |
Gunport of the starboard bowchaser, Vasa |
Bow of the Vasa |
Royal Lion Figurehead holding the bundle of sticks, vase in Swedish, from which the ship is named |
Levels of the Vasa Museum, Stockholm |
The bases of the shrouds - the ropes that support the masts |
Starboard side of the Vasa |
Sculpture of a Roman Warrior, Vasa |
The Lion Figurehead of the Vasa was carved by Mårten Redtmer |
Front quarter view of the Vasa |
Starboard side of the Vasa |
Stern gallery with sculptures and a musket port |
Small gun port for muskets |
Sculpture of a Nordic Wildman, 4 on each side of the Vasa |
Narrow deck of the Vasa with the main mast |
Starboard side of the Vasa |
Hatches and Capstan of the Vasa |
Capstan, used as a winch to raise the anchor |
Shrouds of the forward mast of the Vasa |
Bow of the Vasa with the Roman Warrior and starboard cathead |
Starboard Roman Warrior sculpture, Vasa |
Forward starboard side of the Vasa |
10 Roman Emperors from Tiberius to Septimius Severus decorate the each side of the bow of the Vasa |
One of 10 the Roman Emperors from the Bow of the Vasas |
Carving of the Polish Enemy trapped under the cathead on the bow |
Polish nobleman Jakob Sobieski, similar in appearance to the carving of the Polish Enemy |
Painted reproduction of one of the Wildmen of the Vasa |
Painted reproduction of one of the Wildmen of the Vasa |
Painted reproduction of one of the Wildmen of the Vasa |
The Vasa, 69m (226 ft) long and 52.5m (172ft) tall |
The Vasa, constructed 1626-1628 |
Some of the missing parts of the Vasa were replaced with modern wood during restoration |
King Gustav II Adolph, Gustav the Great, Lion of the North (r. 1611-1632) |
Lion figurehead of the Vasa |
The Vasa had a crew of 145 sailors and 300 soldiers |
Shrouds leading to the Crow's Nest at the top of the |
The superstructure is built high to be a firing platform |
Hercules, draped in lion skin, from the stern of the Vasa |
Painted reproduction of the Roman Warrior from the port bow of the Vasa |
King Gustavus II Adolphus as triumphant Roman General, D.K. Ehrenstrahl |
Roof of the starboard lower aft quarter gallery |
Nereids and tritons decorating the starboard lower quarter gallery |
Reproduction of the starboard Hercules |
Hercules from the Starboard side of the Vasa |
Figure from the starboard lower quarters gallery |
Starboard lower quarter gallery and part of the stern of the Vasa |
Knights in armor on the stern representing the King's ancestors |
Knights in armor on the stern representing the King's ancestors |
The ship's name, Vasa, represented by the bundle of sticks held by cherubs flanked by knights in armor |
National Coat-of-Arms of Sweden on the upper transom of the stern of the Vasa |
Coronation of Gustav II Adolf with griffons symbolizing King Karl IX, his father |
Cherub to the left of the coat-of-arms of Sweden |
Cherub to the left of the coat-of-arms of Sweden |
"Grotesque" mask on the stern below the coat-of-arms |
King David on the port stern post, Vasa |
Guide to the sculptures on the stern of the Vasa |
Highly decorated stern of the Vasa |
Swedish coat-of-arms on the stern of the Vasa flanked by lions |
Top of the upper transom with the coronation of King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden |
Closer view of the coronation of Gustav II Adolph on the stern of the Vasa |
Port quartering view of the stern of the Vasa |
Coat-of-Arms of the Vasa Dynasty flanked by armored figures representing the King's ancestors |
Stern and aft port galleries, Vasa |
Port side of the Vasa looking forward |
Port upper and lower stern galleries of the Vasa |
Artist's impression of the Vasa under full sail with flags flying |
Walkways all around the ship allow the Vasa to be viewed from multiple levels |
Top of the upper transom with the coronation of King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden |
Closer view of the coronation of Gustav II Adolph on the stern of the Vasa |
National coat-of-arms of Sweden on the stern of the vasa supported by lions |
Stern of the Vasa from the top viewing deck |
Stern of the Vasa from the top viewing deck |
Panorama from the top level showing the other floors of the Vasa Museum |
After quartering view of the port side of the Vasa from the upper viewing deck |
Stern and port quarter galleries of the Vasa |
Rending of the Vasa with the 7 levels of the museum, with the waterline on the 4th level |
Looking up at the stern of the Vasa from the lowest level |
Model of the Stockholm shipyards with Tre Kronor Castle |
From the ground floor looking up at the port after quarter galleries of the Vasa |
Port bow of the Vasa with sculptures of the Roman Emperors and port bow chaser gun port |
Relief map of Scandinavia and the Baltic, Vasa Museum |
Midship cross section of the Vasa with 2 gun decks, 2 lower decks and ballast |
Tre Kronor Castle, Stockholm |