The Swedish warship Vasa. It sank in 1628 less than a mile into its maiden voyage and was recovered from the sea floor after 333 years almost completely intact.

Now housed at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, it is the world’s best preserved 17th century ship.
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The vessel has come to symbolize Sweden’s Great Power Period, when the nation became a major European power and controlled much of the Baltic.

Though not the largest or most heavily armed ship of its time, the ‘Vasa’ was formidable: The 226-foot, 64-cannon ship could fire a combined weight of more than 650 pounds of shot from one side.

It was designed by the experienced ship maker Henrik Hybertsson, and was initially expected to carry 36 guns aboard the deck. However, the King of Sweden demanded aesthetic perfection at the cost of the ship’s stability. When she set sail on her maiden voyage from the castle fortress at Vaxholm on August 10, 1628, Vasa was laden with heavy ornamental decoration and 64 bronze canons.

But the maritime pride of Sweden never saw battle – it was too top-heavy, and it capsized and sank after sailing less than a nautical mile. The Vasa was recovered in 1961, almost entirely intact, and was raised from the ocean after 333 years at the bottom of the sea. It has been displayed in its own museum since 1990, attracting more than a million visitors per year.