Marine archaeologists in Sweden have made a spectacular find: they discovered a sunken 17th-century warship near the capital Stockholm. It is the wreck of the “Äpplet” (De Appel), the sister ship of the “Vasa”, which has its own world famous museum in Stockholm.
The wreck museum “Vrak”, which presented the find on Monday, spoke of a find that was unique in the world. According to the museum, the ship was launched in 1629. It was therefore built a year earlier by the same shipbuilder as the “Vasa”.
Sister ship sank on maiden voyage
The “Vasa” had already sunk on the maiden voyage shortly after leaving port and was rediscovered in Stockholm harbor in the mid-20th century. The “Äpplet” was sunk more than 30 years after its completion as part of an underwater barrier intended to prevent enemies from reaching Stockholm by sea. It will likely remain on the sea floor. She does best down there, archaeologist Jim Hansson told TT news agency.
Named after a Swedish king, the 64-gun Vasa was once intended to be the flagship of the Swedish army. The wreck of the ship (pictured above) was hoisted in 1961 and can be seen in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, which is extremely popular with tourists.
At that time, in addition to the “Vasa”, the shipbuilder had three more ships built: “Äpplet”, “Kronan” and “Sceptre”. They all served in naval battles for the Swedish Navy.
Unlike the “Vasa”, she kept the “Äpplet” afloat for years, which also had to do with the fact that shipbuilder Hein Jacobsson had learned from the design mistakes of the “Vasa” and built it slightly wider. Sweden could also count on the “Äpplet” in the Thirty Years’ War against Germany.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
