Huge proportions, two gun decks and wood from 1627: underwater archaeologists have identified a shipwreck near Stockholm as the long-sought “Äpplet” from the 17th century Swedish navy. It is the slightly younger sister ship of the famous “Vasa”, whose wreck can be admired in a museum. Studies by Äpplet could now provide insights into how the great warships evolved from the disastrously unstable Vasa to the powerful rulers of the Baltic Sea, the experts say.
The exciting chapter in shipping history begins in 1625: King Gustav II Adolf wanted to decisively strengthen Sweden’s naval power and therefore gave the order to build new battleships. With a length of over 50 meters and more than 60 cannons, the two galleons Vasa and Äpplet were to become the showpieces of the fleet. First, the Vasa was completed in 1628. But it turned out to be a catastrophic design flaw: it was too narrow and top-heavy. A modest gust of wind knocked her over on her celebratory maiden voyage. This is how the magnificent prestige object sank, killing many crew members in the process. But that was not to remain the final fate of the Vasa: her wreck was salvaged and prepared in the 20th century. It is now on display at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm.
Improved sister ship
However, the history of the sister ship Äpplet took a different course: the designer of both ships had apparently feared even before the Vasa was launched that she might become shaky. The Äapplet was therefore built wider than the Vasa to ensure more stability. This proved to be successful: after its launch in 1629, the mighty galleon, unlike its sister, proved to be seaworthy. Although its concept was considered to be in need of improvement, the Äpplet was in service for around 30 years. Among other things, she was able to transport around 1000 men to the German coast in one trip when Sweden entered the Thirty Years’ War. However, in 1658 the Äpplet was inspected and found to be no longer suitable for repairs. The following year, she was therefore deliberately sunk by the navy in a strait off Stockholm near the island of Vaxholm to form part of a sea barrier intended to protect the capital.
Where exactly she was sunk, but fell into oblivion. Underwater archaeologists have therefore been searching for the wreck for some time as part of the “The Forgotten Fleet” project. In December 2021, promising structures finally emerged in the murky water off the island of Vaxholm: the team had come across a huge wreck. The findings showed that it was a warship with two gun decks. “Our pulse quickened when we saw how similar the wreck was to the Vasa,” says Jim Hansson of the Vrak Museum in Stockholm. “Both the construction and the enormous dimensions seemed very familiar to us,” says the marine archaeologist.
It’s the applet!
A second, more thorough investigation followed in the spring of 2022. During the dives, more ship details were discovered that were previously only known from the Vasa, and material samples were also obtained for analysis. This is how it turned out: The oak trees for the ship’s timber were felled in Mälardalen in 1627. This is of the same wood origin as in the case of the Vasa. “The dimensions, construction details, wood samples and archive material – all the clues confirmed: We have indeed found Vasa’s sister ship, the Äpplet,” says Patrik Höglund from the Vrak Museum. His colleague Hansson emphasizes the importance of the discovery: “This ship is part of our cultural heritage. With the Äpplet we can now add another important piece of the jigsaw puzzle to the development history of Swedish shipbuilding.
The team now plans to examine the wreck more closely. However, there will be no salvage – the data collection should only be carried out on site. “We want to use this to compare the differences in the constructions of Vasa and Äpplet,” says Hansson. “This could help us understand how the large warships evolved from the unstable Vasa to the versions that could control the Baltic Sea – a key factor in Sweden’s rise to prominence,” says Höglund.
Source: Stockholm University Vrak-Museum of Wrecks