Race to save Sweden's unique 17th-century warship from degrading

Urgent work is underway to build a new support system to save the unique 17th-century warship Vasa that sank in Stockholm during its maiden voyage before being salvaged in 1961 and put on display. At 61m (200 ft) long and armed with two decks of 64 guns, the Vasa was the pride of Sweden’s growing empire before it capsized and sank on August 10, 1628 in Stockholm, just around 1,300 metres from the Royal Castle from where she set sail. Since Swedish navy divers brought the uniquely well preserved wreck to the surface in 1961, it has been a key tourist attraction in the Swedish capital where it has been housed in its own museum, along with artifacts salvaged from the wreck. But chemical degradation of the oak the Vasa was from built nearly 400 years ago has left the hull weakened and the ship is moving slightly in the supports that hold it in place in the museum. These risk damage to the ship in the long term, so in April construction started to build a new support structure for the Vasa, consisting of 27 steel cradles and a joint under the keel. A steel skeleton will also be built inside the ship eventually to help it bear its own weight. “This old system from the 1960s didn't take into account how the ship itself is constructed or built. So the support is on the wrong places for the ship and it causes small movements in the ship. That actually destroys it,” said Magnus Olofsson, director of the Support Vasa project. “This ship is completely unique. You don't find anything like it. A whole ship taken up from the seabed from the 17th century. It's nowhere. So it's a treasure for the people of the world,” Olofsson said. The project is due to be completed in 2028 in time for the 400th anniversary of the Vasa’s launch, during which time the museum will remain open to the public. -Report from Reuters