The Sinking of the Vasa by Andrew Howat
Vasa or
Wasa is a
Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628. The ship
foundered after sailing about 1,300 m (1,400 yd) into her
maiden voyage on 10 August 1628.
On 10 August 1628, Captain Söfring Hansson ordered
Vasa to depart on her maiden voyage to the naval station at
Älvsnabben. The day was calm, and the only wind was a light breeze from the southwest. The ship was
warped (hauled by anchor) along the eastern waterfront of the city to the southern side of the harbor, where four sails were set, and the ship made way to the east. The gun ports were open, and the guns were out to fire a salute as the ship left Stockholm.
As
Vasa passed under the
lee of the bluffs to the south (what is now
Södermalm), a gust of wind filled her sails, and she
heeled suddenly to
port. The
sheets were cast off, and the ship slowly
righted herself as the gust passed. At Tegelviken, where there is a gap in the bluffs, an even stronger gust again forced the ship onto its port side, this time pushing the open lower gunports under the surface, allowing water to rush in onto the lower gundeck. The water building up on the deck quickly exceeded the ship's minimal ability to right itself, and water continued to pour in until it ran down into the hold; the ship quickly sank to a depth of 32 m (105 ft) only 120 m (390 ft) from shore. Survivors clung to debris or the upper masts, which were still above the surface, to save themselves, and many nearby boats rushed to their aid, but despite these efforts and the short distance to land, 30 people perished with the ship, according to reports.
Vasa sank in full view of a crowd of hundreds, if not thousands, of mostly ordinary Stockholmers who had come to see the great ship set sail. The crowd included foreign ambassadors, in effect spies of Gustavus Adolphus' allies and enemies, who also witnessed the catastrophe.