Swedish Warship: The Vasa--Jennifer Greer
In 1625, the King of Sweden, Gustav II Adolf, commissioned a warship to be built and added to Sweden’s already fearsome fleet in its artillery. It was to have the best cannons and artillery than other warships at the time. It weighed over 1200 tons and was already being seen as a vessel that might not make the journey. The King was pressuring the Vasa for many years to set sail, but it only sailed 1300 meters before sinking. The Vasa would lay on the ocean floor until a team, almost 330 years later, could bring the vessel up in one piece. The Vasa is now on display in Sweden in a museum that works around the clock to preserve the wood and many artifacts that gave insight into the times of war in the 1600s. After bringing and maintaining the Vasa, the artifacts found on the ship, including the cannons, showed how powerful the artillery was for Sweden. In 2014, a replica of the Vasa cannon found that it could range over 1000 meters, but it would only be about half on water. It was indeed a fearsome vessel for a powerful country. While Sweden wanted to prove they were the best with the best equipment, their overachievement caused them to lose many valuable resources. Still, it would give a different kind of recognition over centuries later.
There was no verdict or a crime given to the sinking of the Vasa because the people involved were not around or just not around at the time or were dead. The question of war crimes has been around for a while, but what if the people involved in compromising human life were your own? People died on the Vasa and were either just commoners or part of the military that was essential to society. In addition, whether a ship needs to be aesthetically pleasing to this point has been questioned since the Vasa sank. Being able to show off your power and wealth was very common through your weaponry and the things you own; however, to what extent do you show it off that it puts down productivity? War brings out many different sides of people, but showing off power is one of the most common. The fact that the people in power got no verdict is one example of how power works in war.
Another example is Rome, where they showed off their power by conquering many cities and becoming a fantastic and feared nation. While much can be said about the primary job of a ship, it cannot be understated when a graceful and elegant boat is in the water. There is a sense of power and fear-inducing to the opposing side. Whichever is the appropriate response to these questions, one thing specific is that the Vasa being utterly intact as it was recovered and preserving so much history and data shows that while it might not have been the great warship it could have been, it has become a symbol of resilience and strength of the people of Sweden, especially during that time.
Front of The Vasa
The Vasa Museum currently houses the recovered ship in one piece. While inside, the boat is on full display, and you see all the hard work that went into preserving the ship, a full underwater suit of one of the divers on display and making the ship. There were replicas of the Vasa out in the sea right before it sunk. This highlights the importance of preserving important events, especially during wartime. Things can get destroyed, and that history will be lost forever. Sweden could have lost its history with the Vasa in the documents, and the ship had not been recovered entirely and taken care of. Documentation is necessary for history because it brings you back to that period. With the knowledge we know now, it was apparent the Vasa was a cumbersome ship, but it had the grand, fearsome look of a boat that didn’t want to come after you. War during this period was mainly on the water, so having the most enormous, most extensive, most fearsome vessel on the water was vital, and the King of Sweden understood and commissioned the Vasa. King Adolf wanted to prove to his enemies that God chose him not only to be a ruler but that he should be feared as well.
Source - https://www.vasamuseet.se/en
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