WEBVTT - Vasa, Sunken and Resurrected 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:04.600 Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 0:00:04.600 --> 0:00:12.000 and Mild from Aaron Mankie listener discretion advised. Crowds of nobles, workers, 0:00:12.119 --> 0:00:15.600 families all poured in from the royal Palace and the 0:00:15.640 --> 0:00:19.760 streets of Stockholm, eager to finally see their King's pride 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:23.319 and joy in all her splendor. She was supposed to 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:28.360 be beautiful. King Gustavus Adolphus himself was off fighting in Poland, 0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:33.440 but his presence was readily felt in that day's festivities, speeches, 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:37.479 and down at the waterfront, in the beautiful visage of 0:00:37.600 --> 0:00:43.640 his beloved Vasa. August tenth, sixteen twenty eight was a 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:48.199 bright day, and the sun's rays illuminated her every feature, 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:55.720 from her meticulously carved beakhead to her gaudily painted stern castle. Yes, 0:00:56.120 --> 0:01:00.920 the Vasa was in fact a ship, but not just 0:01:01.160 --> 0:01:06.440 any ship. The Vasa was a hulking worship, the pinnacle 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:11.440 of Swedish naval ambitions, a floating tribute to the country's 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.680 bold ruler. This was the vessel that would make the 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:20.399 Swedish Empire the masters of the Baltic Sea. But the 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:26.400 Vasa's departure from harbor was far from majestic. With little 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:31.000 wind to help the ship move through Stockholm Harbor, Captain 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:36.000 Sofring Hanson ordered his crew to use ropes posts along 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:40.240 the shore and their vertical man powered winch known as 0:01:40.240 --> 0:01:47.120 a capstan, to pull themselves along at a sea snail's pace. Nevertheless, 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:51.440 the crowd cheered on the Vasa. After all, the warship 0:01:51.520 --> 0:01:54.840 was still a grand site with its double decks of 0:01:55.000 --> 0:02:00.120 bronze cannons and all of its carved sculptures and gilded adornments. 0:02:00.720 --> 0:02:06.000 The slow progression through the harbor actually allowed many onlookers 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:09.160 to keep pace along the key while calling out to 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:13.200 their friends and relatives on board. At long last, the 0:02:13.320 --> 0:02:17.880 Vasa glided out away from shore. It fired a salute 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:21.919 and the crew set four of its ten available sails. 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:26.919 A gust of wind blew, and immediately the ship began 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:32.720 healing over to its port side. Screams came from the 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:37.120 watching crowd, as well as from some on board, especially 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:42.520 the more inexperienced crew members and honorary guests. Captain Hansen 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:47.760 was worried too, knowing how bad this maiden voyage was 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:51.320 going and how much worse it could get if his 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:56.600 nagging fears about the ship's seaworthiness were true, but he 0:02:56.720 --> 0:03:00.959 barked orders and managed to even the Vasa's key. If 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:04.240 they could just complete their first leg to the alvs 0:03:04.280 --> 0:03:08.480 Nebsen naval base further south in the Swedish Archipelago, and 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:12.600 thereby appease the impatient orders of the King, they could 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:17.519 hopefully make further adjustments to the ship. Then came the 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:23.120 second gust of wind. Spoiler alert. The ship sank on 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:27.240 its maiden voyage. We wouldn't be talking about it now 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:31.359 if it hadn't. However, the Vasa story did not end 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:37.880 with its dramatic and deadly foundering. Far from it. The 0:03:37.960 --> 0:03:42.920 ship may have only sailed about thirteen hundred meters in total, 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:48.000 but its overarching journey from its rushed construction to its 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:54.800 epic failure to its unprecedented and incredible resurrection would effectively 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:59.720 canonize it as one of the most legendary ships to 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:06.640 even if so very briefly set sail. I'm Danish Schwartz 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:16.200 and this is noble blood. For nearly four hundred years now, 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:20.000 the most common question asked about the Vasa by everyone 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:25.560 from historians to marine archaeologists to casual observers has been 0:04:26.120 --> 0:04:30.320 why did it sick? The answer is complicated since it 0:04:30.400 --> 0:04:35.320 involves physical issues such as buoyancy, building materials, and weight distribution, 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:41.680 as well as classic human flaws like hubris, fear, and miscommunication. 0:04:42.600 --> 0:04:46.719 Since the human side gives us the more psychologically compelling 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:51.320 entry point, let's start there with the Vasa's creation. There 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:55.640 were many fathers and several mothers, but no one figures 0:04:55.720 --> 0:05:01.200 as prominently as King Gustavus Adolphus. The ship was his 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:06.880 true brainchild. Gustavus became king of Sweden in sixteen eleven 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:12.359 at age sixteen, and had limited margin for error since 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.920 his country was so frequently at war with three of 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:22.039 its neighbors, Denmark, Russia, and Poland. Despite some early losses, 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:26.200 Gustavus gained a reputation as a bold warrior and commander 0:05:26.520 --> 0:05:30.440 who helped usher in an era that Swedish historians would 0:05:30.520 --> 0:05:35.080 later call the Age of Greatness or quote great Power period. 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:40.560 Beyond out muscling his close rivals, Gustavus strove to push 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:45.280 Sweden into the top tier of European powerhouses. As a 0:05:45.360 --> 0:05:49.200 devout Lutheran, he even hoped to staunch the influence of 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:54.280 the robust Catholic empires to the south. Such lofty ambitions 0:05:54.640 --> 0:06:00.000 required enhanced military might. So, eager to boost his name 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:04.440 these firepower and to assert his control over profitable Baltic 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:08.720 trade routes, Gustavus sent an order to his Stockholm navy 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:13.440 yard in sixteen twenty five to build him four new warships. 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:17.520 Of these, the flagship was slated to be the most 0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:21.279 powerful the world has ever seen. When finished, it would 0:06:21.360 --> 0:06:26.600 have a stunning capacity or seventy two bronze twenty four 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:32.919 pounders aka cannons that shot twenty four pound balls. But 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:37.240 what to call this awe inspiring vessel? What name would 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:42.080 elicit pride from its patriots and strike fear into its foes? 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:48.440 How about bundle of sticks? That is essentially what Vasa 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:52.360 originally meant to be. More exact, the name comes from 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:56.400 the word vase, which was the heraldic symbol embraced by 0:06:56.440 --> 0:07:00.480 the Swedish royal family heading into the seventeenth Sei entry. 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:05.000 It was increasingly depicted as a sheath of wheat in 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:08.720 their coat of arms, and the dynasty itself became known 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:13.560 as the House of Vasa. Starting with Gustavus's grandfather, Gustav 0:07:13.680 --> 0:07:19.200 Eriksson Vasa. Thus, by dubbing his ship Vasa, Gustavus Adolphus 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:23.200 was in a sense both honoring his family and putting 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:30.120 their reputation on the line. This looming pressure only increased 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:34.640 during the Vasa's choppy formative years. Due to the time 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.920 it took for the shipyard to communicate with the king, 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:42.480 who was frequently off leading his army, multiple versions of 0:07:42.520 --> 0:07:49.560 the contract were circulated. This made mastershipbuilder Henrik Hibertson's job hard. 0:07:49.800 --> 0:07:54.520 To put it mildly, Quickly sourcing enough properly cut oak 0:07:54.640 --> 0:07:59.240 beams would be tricky under normal circumstances, let alone when 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:03.800 stuck in a contract dispute with a temperamental monarch over 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:09.040 basic ship dimensions and costs. It's worth noting that although 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:13.480 a myth lingered for years that Gustavus's continued meddling was 0:08:13.520 --> 0:08:18.520 a crucial factor in Vasa's ultimate failure, documents show that 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:22.000 that wasn't actually the case, at least not with the 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:27.440 main design. Once construction began, Gustavus did not keep trying 0:08:27.480 --> 0:08:31.880 to change the specifications of the ship. His impatience simply 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:36.480 affected the build in other ways. One crucial issue was 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:41.160 the dissimilarities between the main shipbuilding techniques used throughout Europe 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:46.000 during this era. Shipbuilder Henrik was trained in the Dutch style, 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:50.160 in which workers did not rely on detailed designs or 0:08:50.240 --> 0:08:54.480 models like they did in the English style. Instead, they 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:58.760 derived proportional measurements from basic parts of the ship, like 0:08:58.840 --> 0:09:03.080 the kiel. The Dutch way saved money and time, but 0:09:03.240 --> 0:09:07.080 turned out to be far riskier when utilized in Stockholm. 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:12.640 Under the King's urgent schedule. For example, carpenters were recruited 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:17.640 at home and abroad and brought differently sized tools with them. 0:09:18.040 --> 0:09:23.160 Six wood rulers, all supposedly a foot long, were later located, 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:27.760 and none of them were the same length. The Swedish 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:31.760 ones were closer to a modern twelve inches, whereas the 0:09:31.840 --> 0:09:36.479 Dutch ones were closer to eleven not exactly a recipe 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:41.840 for precision. Additionally, separate construction groups worked on the port 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:45.560 and starboard sides, which may have given the Vasa a 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:50.959 slightly asymmetric structure. As if all that were not enough, 0:09:51.160 --> 0:09:55.080 it was tricky to judge how the immense weight of 0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:59.320 seventy two cannons would affect the ship, because seventy two 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:04.280 cannons were not readily available, particularly not in the size 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:08.840 that King Gustavus wanted. These guns had to be cast 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:13.360 in bronze at a separate foundry in Stockholm, a task 0:10:13.559 --> 0:10:18.400 so herculean that it was not completed. According to researchers, 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:23.640 only sixty four cannons ever actually made it onto the Vasa. Then, 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:29.679 in sixteen twenty seven, Henrik fell ill And died, his wife, Margareta, 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:34.080 Nil's daughter, took over the stressful job of running the shipyard. 0:10:34.160 --> 0:10:38.280 With departments going far over budget and a king demanding 0:10:38.320 --> 0:10:43.000 to see progress, other shipbuilders stepped in to help oversee things, 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:47.480 along with the Vasa's future captain, so Friing Hansen. In 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:51.679 sixteen twenty seven, they launched the Vasa a process where 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:55.640 they moved the incomplete vessel to the water to finish 0:10:55.760 --> 0:11:00.000 its upper decks, rigging, and other features. During this phase, 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:05.640 workers noticed the ship's tendency to roll over, but hopefully 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:10.120 a seasoned captain like Hanson could manage that while sailing. 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:17.480 As we now know, Hanson could not, and on that 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:21.959 lightly breezy summer day in sixteen twenty eight, the Vasa 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:26.520 healed too far to port water rushed in and the 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:32.439 Vasa sank frighteningly quickly. Most crew members and passengers managed 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:36.800 to escape, but at least fifteen were trapped and drowned. 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:40.600 The ship may not have taken on water so quickly 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:44.400 if the gun ports, especially those on the lower deck, 0:11:44.720 --> 0:11:48.679 had been closed, but they were open because a the 0:11:48.800 --> 0:11:51.360 King wanted the might of his new warship to be 0:11:51.480 --> 0:11:55.640 on full display, and B most of the cannons that 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:58.560 were ready in time were placed on the lower gun 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.400 deck or stabilities, and they would be difficult to reposition 0:12:02.600 --> 0:12:07.599 on short notice. Gustavus Adolphus, furious upon hearing of the 0:12:07.679 --> 0:12:12.440 Vasa's demise, called for an inquest. Captain Hunson and other 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:16.760 key figures were interrogated at the palace on September fifth, 0:12:16.840 --> 0:12:21.280 sixteen twenty eight. Almost a month's worth of lead time 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:26.960 allowed these officers to carefully craft their defenses. According to 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:32.120 documents from the hearings, the defendants largely scapegoaded the dead 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:36.640 shipwright Henrik Heibertsen and or implied that they were simply 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:40.360 following the King's orders, so to punish them would be 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:46.079 to question the wisdom of fearsome King. Gustavus Adolphus Still, 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:49.400 it came out that Captain Hanson had been aware of 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:52.320 the Vasa's flaws to the point that he had had 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:55.840 his crew do a demonstration for one of the crown's 0:12:55.960 --> 0:13:01.319 vice admirals. But clearly everyone was so fearful of delivering 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:04.880 bad news to the king that the maiden voyage went 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:10.080 forward anyway. Ultimately, no one was found guilty of negligence, 0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:15.400 and the involved officers, nobles and craftspeople all tried to 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:20.160 move on with their careers and lives. King Gustavus Adolphus 0:13:20.240 --> 0:13:24.319 got involved in the Bloody Thirty Years' War and died 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:28.439 at the Battle of Lutzen in sixteen thirty two. Meanwhile, 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:33.199 the Vasa rested at the bottom of Stockholm Harbor, seemingly 0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:39.400 doomed to a disastrous legacy and a turbid decomposition. That 0:13:39.600 --> 0:13:44.559 is until the steady evolution of nautical technology and some 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:49.520 long awaited luck gave the ship a chance to rise again. 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:56.880 Only three days after the Vasa sank, Sweden's Council of 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:01.600 the Realm granted an Englishman permission to try to salvage it. 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:07.040 His method involved using two floating ships as pontoons and 0:14:07.280 --> 0:14:11.480 gradually tightening ropes attached to the wreck to pull it 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:15.400 up a little, drag it to shallow waters, and then repeat. 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:20.840 His plan was sound, but unfortunately he lacked enough mechanical force. 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:25.880 A Dutch expert tried next, as did others. At one point, 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.800 Captain Hansen was even tapped to lead a recovery effort, 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:34.680 but like his stewardship of the Vasa's first voyage, his 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.360 second go with the ship in its much sagier state, 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:44.200 also failed. Then, in sixteen sixty three, a diver named 0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:50.000 Albert von Trelbin pitched an exciting new approach. Fortunately, the 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:53.960 king at this time, Carl the tenth Gustave, was very 0:14:54.000 --> 0:14:58.440 interested in ships, just as Gustavus had been, so he 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:03.200 recognized the potential when Trailbin showed him an invention called 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:07.440 the diving bell. It could not enable the lifting of 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:12.000 the ship, but by trapping air underwater, the metallic chamber 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:17.880 allowed Trailbin's divers to recover valuable items, Namely thanks to 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:22.960 Trailbin's German partner's technique of using giant tongs to remove 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:27.880 large pieces from the gunports, the team was reportedly able 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:33.640 to recover most of the Vasa's prized bronze cannons. After that, 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:38.280 the vasa was mostly ignored for centuries, with the general 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:43.800 consensus being that the ship's materials were likely deteriorating beyond 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:49.640 sufficient value or usefulness. Fascinatingly, though, that wasn't the case. 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:54.000 As it turns out, in many ways, the conditions in 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:59.760 Stockholm Harbor were ideal for preserving a sunken ship. According 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:04.560 to scientists, the cold, brickish, low oxygen waters of the 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:09.840 Baltic kept certain organisms that wreak havoc on wood, like 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:14.200 the mollusk referred to as quote the shipworm, from destroying 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:18.520 the vasa more off puddingly, we also have the poor 0:16:18.680 --> 0:16:23.000 waste removal practices of the seventeenth century to thank for 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:28.160 protecting the ship. Raw sewage jumped directly into the harbor 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:33.440 from the city's privies may have grievously poisoned the marine environment, 0:16:34.000 --> 0:16:40.320 but in doing so it evidently also stymied wood loving bacteria. Additionally, 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:45.560 the ample sediment and clay of the harbor's seafloor encased 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:50.160 many structures and portions of the hull. This shielded the 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:55.440 vasa from erosion, but also made it extremely difficult to lift. 0:16:55.920 --> 0:17:00.960 Because these ships settling into the muddy cushion created massive 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:07.800 amounts of suction. Fast forward to the nineteen fifties, yes, 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:11.440 over three hundred years after the sinking of the Vasa, 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:16.880 and a Swedish man named Anders Franzen becomes fascinated by 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:21.320 the ship. He had served during World War II studying 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:26.000 shipwrecks in his spare time, and got the Bronstrom's Shipping 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:30.399 Company and the Swedish Navy to back a new salvage 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:35.840 endeavor by winning over King Gustave the sixth Adolf. As 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:40.280 you may have already guessed, Sweden's recently crowned monarch, was 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:44.119 a fan of ships. If anything, we're making a strong 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:47.479 case here that within the last four centuries you couldn't 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:51.760 descend the Swedish throne and not like ships. Plus this 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:57.399 Gustave was exceptionally passionate about archaeology in general. For his 0:17:57.720 --> 0:18:01.880 recovery plan, Anders Franz and his team opted to combine 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:07.240 new and old methods. They first used modern technology to 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:12.400 shoot jets of pressurized water below the Vasa. This created 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:16.520 tunnels through which they then threaded cables to make a 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:20.879 sturdy cradle for the ship. This was dangerous work for 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:25.639 divers who had to work in claustrophobic conditions, fearing that 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:30.480 the tunnels beneath the ship might collapse on them. Eventually, though, 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:34.760 they succeeded, and the recovery team then used an incremental 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:39.640 system of lifting the ship with pontoons and cable adjustments 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:43.800 that was remarkably similar to the strategy attempted in the 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:49.280 sixteen hundreds. The vasa was gradually pulled and towed into 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:55.320 shallower water until finally, on April twenty fourth, nineteen sixty one, 0:18:55.359 --> 0:19:01.560 it emerged. Raising the vasa on to a special pontoon 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:05.840 platform was only part of the challenge. However, for those 0:19:05.960 --> 0:19:10.280 first couple decades, a tricky balance had to be reached 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:15.439 between preservation and in depth study. Initially, workers had to 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:19.479 keep spraying the ship with water to prevent drying that 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:23.560 might lead to warping and cracking. A Swedish duo er 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:28.040 Till Centerval and Rolfe Moren, then devised a clever way 0:19:28.080 --> 0:19:33.560 to preserve the structure, using a substance called polyethylene glycol 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:39.720 or PEG. When injected, this polymer replaced water while strengthening 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:44.320 wood fibers. Fun fact, this treatment was so effective that 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:49.040 It became standard practice with water logged wooden structures, including 0:19:49.119 --> 0:19:53.760 the famous English warship Mary Rose that was later salvaged. 0:19:54.720 --> 0:20:00.920 Preservation with PEG was effective, but also time consuming. Detached 0:20:01.040 --> 0:20:04.760 pieces that could be submerged in this chemical mix, the 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:09.520 process often took from a year to eighteen months. The 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:14.040 main body of the vasa took way longer. The whole 0:20:14.080 --> 0:20:18.879 thing couldn't be dunked, so conservators had to sprinkle and 0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:25.000 inject PEG continually. This took from nineteen sixty one to 0:20:25.280 --> 0:20:30.760 nineteen seventy nine. Finally, once the ship had been fortified, 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:35.800 eager marine archaeologists and historians were able to start fully 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:41.080 reconstructing and analyzing the ship. The vasa proved to be 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:46.560 an incredible time capsule of seventeenth century Swedish life at sea. 0:20:47.440 --> 0:20:54.639 At least twenty five thousand objects were reportedly found. Clothing, shoes, games, glassware, 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:58.919 and coins all provided glimpses at what life was like. 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:04.600 The ship decorations also tell quite a story. An astonishing 0:21:04.680 --> 0:21:09.400 number of intricate carvings survived, some with traces of their 0:21:09.480 --> 0:21:16.040 original bright paint jobs. These showcased an amalgamation of artistic styles, 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:22.280 classic mythology, old testament iconography odes to King Gustavus Adolphus, 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:27.200 and plenty of mir people and mythical creatures. There were 0:21:27.320 --> 0:21:32.600 even carvings that poked fun at rival Polish nobles by 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:37.680 showing them in compromising positions. Two of these were purportedly placed, 0:21:37.840 --> 0:21:41.400 so they were only clearly visible to a crewman who 0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:47.600 sat on one of the ship's main to toilets. By 0:21:47.800 --> 0:21:52.080 modern standards, the intended living and working conditions on the 0:21:52.160 --> 0:21:57.080 Vasa seemed pretty awful. The officers had larger cabins, but 0:21:57.320 --> 0:22:00.520 most of the crew had the ship, in theory, continued 0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:06.240 its mission, would have slept in dark, cramped conditions between cannons. 0:22:06.880 --> 0:22:10.320 The only daylight that those on the lower decks would 0:22:10.359 --> 0:22:14.520 have regularly seen would have filtered through cracks in the 0:22:14.520 --> 0:22:18.600 beams above. The Vasa was supposed to carry a staggering 0:22:18.920 --> 0:22:22.720 four hundred and fifty people, although it wasn't full when 0:22:22.720 --> 0:22:26.560 it sank because the soldier regiments had not yet boarded, 0:22:27.240 --> 0:22:30.160 so in one way, the fact that the ship failed 0:22:30.320 --> 0:22:35.840 so immediately actually prevented even more people from suffering and dying. 0:22:36.800 --> 0:22:40.600 Even so, as we mentioned, there were individuals who never 0:22:40.720 --> 0:22:45.280 made it off the ship. Fifteen skeletons were recovered from 0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:49.040 the Vasa wreck, it was hard to identify them since 0:22:49.119 --> 0:22:54.320 no exact official crewe lists survived. The remains still offered 0:22:54.359 --> 0:22:58.919 scientists a wealth of information. Though the group included sailors 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:03.399 likely conscripted from coastal towns or brought on from defecting 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:07.800 Danish and Norwegian crews. Since the first voyage of the 0:23:07.880 --> 0:23:12.000 Vasa was a festive occasion, a few women and children 0:23:12.160 --> 0:23:16.920 were also reportedly aboard. This was reflected in the skeletons. 0:23:17.400 --> 0:23:21.920 Two of the fifteen were female. Analysis of the bones 0:23:21.960 --> 0:23:27.120 also gave insight into height, age, matrilineal details, and nutrition. 0:23:28.000 --> 0:23:32.040 Somewhat surprisingly, although those who had died had plenty of 0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:36.560 other apparent injuries, none seemed to have been afflicted by scurvy. 0:23:37.200 --> 0:23:41.959 The remains were actually in such good condition that detailed 0:23:42.119 --> 0:23:48.240 facial reconstructions could be done, and eventually one skeleton could 0:23:48.400 --> 0:23:54.040 be identified based on its age and clothing remnants. It 0:23:54.160 --> 0:24:00.119 was Hans Jansen. Jansen was an experienced captain slated to 0:24:00.200 --> 0:24:04.040 lead the Vasa, who was then replaced by Sofring Hudson. 0:24:04.720 --> 0:24:09.280 Johnson still joined the maiden voyage, though, as corroborated by 0:24:09.400 --> 0:24:13.560 officers at the inquest. The fact that even an expert 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:17.920 captain went down with the ship shows just how terrifyingly 0:24:18.040 --> 0:24:23.320 fast it all happened. Further examination also shed more light 0:24:23.440 --> 0:24:27.680 on why the Vasa sank. A critical problem was that 0:24:27.720 --> 0:24:32.240 there were too many heavy beams, too high up the hull, 0:24:32.640 --> 0:24:37.520 and too much space between decks. This, combined with apparent 0:24:37.640 --> 0:24:41.560 asymmetries and the fact that the ship was actually too 0:24:41.600 --> 0:24:45.479 small to effectively carry so much cargo, made it a 0:24:45.680 --> 0:24:51.600 top heavy catastrophe waiting to happen, a catastrophe that, while 0:24:51.840 --> 0:24:56.280 highly tragic at the time, eventually also led to a 0:24:56.320 --> 0:25:05.199 stunning archaeological find that is inspired millions. The Vasa sinking 0:25:05.440 --> 0:25:09.240 was a costly and embarrassing disaster, but it did not 0:25:09.600 --> 0:25:15.280 seemingly dampen King Gustavus Adolphus's nautical ambitions in his remaining years. 0:25:15.960 --> 0:25:19.239 Since the ship was such a failure, it became a 0:25:19.280 --> 0:25:24.840 cautionary tail and brought sweeping changes. The Swedish Navy improved 0:25:24.920 --> 0:25:29.840 their production process, utilizing more thorough oversight and opting to 0:25:29.960 --> 0:25:35.000 work from detailed designs and models on future builds. Larger, 0:25:35.359 --> 0:25:39.119 sturdier worships eventually made it out of the harbor to 0:25:39.160 --> 0:25:42.679 see action in the long run, though no ship from 0:25:42.760 --> 0:25:47.119 this period would see more action than the Vasa, which 0:25:47.240 --> 0:25:52.680 to this day has not left Stockholm Harbor. While conservators 0:25:52.720 --> 0:25:57.480 were working to preserve the Vasa on its pontoon platform, 0:25:57.680 --> 0:26:03.359 a museum was built around the ship still rests there 0:26:03.680 --> 0:26:08.159 on an island in Stockholm in a temperature and humidity 0:26:08.240 --> 0:26:12.359 controlled environment, one that I actually was lucky enough to visit, 0:26:12.560 --> 0:26:17.120 although every single photo I have is incredibly dark and blurry. 0:26:17.880 --> 0:26:21.160 The Vasa may have struggled at sea, but since its 0:26:21.200 --> 0:26:25.840 recovery and career pivot, it has been a smashing success 0:26:26.320 --> 0:26:30.680 that continues to repay Sweden's investment, at least in terms 0:26:30.760 --> 0:26:36.879 of tourism. The current King of Sweden, Karl the sixteenth Gustav, 0:26:37.280 --> 0:26:40.760 who get this, has demonstrated he's both a fan of 0:26:40.920 --> 0:26:46.600 historical ships and of promoting maritime safety, inaugurated the Vasa 0:26:46.680 --> 0:26:52.280 Museum on June fifteenth, nineteen ninety. According to some sources, 0:26:52.640 --> 0:26:57.159 it is the most visited museum in Scandinavia, attracting a 0:26:57.320 --> 0:27:02.720 reported one point five million visitors a year, books, documentaries, 0:27:02.920 --> 0:27:07.000 countless types of merchandise, and even a video game. Have 0:27:07.119 --> 0:27:12.800 focused on the Vasa's unique history. In addition, the Vasa 0:27:12.960 --> 0:27:17.680 has had a significant effect on popular culture in Sweden, 0:27:18.160 --> 0:27:23.840 according to some archaeologists and historians. Despite the ship's infamous sinking, 0:27:24.359 --> 0:27:28.359 fascination with it in recent decades has helped foster a 0:27:28.480 --> 0:27:33.080 nationalistic view of the age of warrior kings and quests 0:27:33.119 --> 0:27:36.359 for nautical glory that is similar to the sense of 0:27:36.600 --> 0:27:43.600 modern pride at least shared cultural identity regarding the Viking Age. 0:27:43.680 --> 0:27:47.720 In some business and technology circles, the Vasa has also 0:27:47.760 --> 0:27:53.119 become a vivid symbol of project mismanagement. Several authors and 0:27:53.280 --> 0:27:58.160 experts have used the term Vasa syndrome when discussing failed 0:27:58.280 --> 0:28:04.440 ventures that were drastically afif affected by modern organizations, shortened timelines, 0:28:04.720 --> 0:28:10.840 poor communication, and lack of corrective action. Such examples include 0:28:10.960 --> 0:28:15.479 Greyhound trying to shift to a computerized bus reservation system 0:28:15.520 --> 0:28:20.520 in nineteen ninety three and NASA's reportedly flawed process leading 0:28:20.600 --> 0:28:25.400 up to the Challenger space shuttle disaster. Ultimately, it's difficult 0:28:25.480 --> 0:28:29.080 to envision there ever being another ship like the Vasa, 0:28:29.200 --> 0:28:33.479 thanks to its bridging of eras, linking of kings, and 0:28:33.720 --> 0:28:39.040 legacy of mind bettening dichotomies. By sinking, it rose to 0:28:39.160 --> 0:28:46.800 fame by barely traveling. It lured countless travelers. Perhaps most inspiringly, 0:28:47.280 --> 0:28:51.840 after drowning under the weight of discord and royal expectations, 0:28:52.160 --> 0:28:58.080 the Vasa lived on by booying cooperation and scientific innovation. 0:28:58.960 --> 0:29:06.040 Not bad for bundle of sticks. That's the unsinkable history 0:29:06.080 --> 0:29:09.440 of the Vasa. But stick around after a brief sponsor 0:29:09.520 --> 0:29:13.240 break to get one last blast of irony from those 0:29:13.400 --> 0:29:27.000 sought after bronze cannons. Other than firing one ammunition free salute, 0:29:27.320 --> 0:29:31.680 the Vasa's bronze twenty four pounders were never actually put 0:29:31.760 --> 0:29:36.720 to use on the Swedish flagship. In a fateful twist, however, 0:29:37.160 --> 0:29:43.000 the cannons may have seen action decades later. Albert von Trelburn, 0:29:43.320 --> 0:29:47.200 the Swede who if you'll remember, effectively utilized the diving bell, 0:29:47.640 --> 0:29:51.320 salvaged most of the guns and passed them onto his 0:29:51.440 --> 0:29:56.160 business partners. We know this because surviving customs records from 0:29:56.200 --> 0:30:01.000 sixteen sixty five reveal that those men exported fifty three 0:30:01.200 --> 0:30:04.560 of the cannons to Lubec, Germany, where there was quite 0:30:04.560 --> 0:30:08.960 a market for secondhand weapons. Fred Hawker, the head of 0:30:09.000 --> 0:30:12.800 research at the Vasa Museum makes a compelling case in 0:30:12.880 --> 0:30:16.960 his book Vasa that some of those cannons found their 0:30:17.000 --> 0:30:19.960 way to Denmark, since the Danish king at the time, 0:30:20.040 --> 0:30:24.320 Frederick the Third, had sent representatives to Lubek to purchase 0:30:24.400 --> 0:30:29.400 cannons for his own navy. Given that Denmark later battled 0:30:29.520 --> 0:30:34.000 Sweden in the Scanyon War in sixteen seventy, it's therefore 0:30:34.160 --> 0:30:39.360 possible that those same cannons were, as Hawker put it quote, 0:30:39.680 --> 0:30:45.080 eventually fired in anger at the Swedish fleet. In other words, 0:30:45.120 --> 0:30:50.040 after causing no end of trouble for foundry workers, shipbuilders, 0:30:50.120 --> 0:30:55.000 and the Vasa crew, King Gustavus Adolphus's ubristic order of 0:30:55.080 --> 0:31:00.520 cannons could hardly have backfired anymore on their home country's 0:31:00.600 --> 0:31:14.800 hopes for Scandinavian supremacy at sea. Noble Blood is a 0:31:14.840 --> 0:31:19.040 production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. 0:31:19.680 --> 0:31:23.560 Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional 0:31:23.560 --> 0:31:28.280 writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy 0:31:28.360 --> 0:31:32.480 Hit and Julia Melaney. The show is edited and produced 0:31:32.560 --> 0:31:37.680 by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and 0:31:37.840 --> 0:31:42.360 executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For 0:31:42.400 --> 0:31:47.840 more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 0:31:48.080 --> 0:31:52.160 or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.