The great wreck was discovered in December 2021, but it was only on Monday that it was known that it was really the Apple that was found.
The wreck was discovered when marine archaeologists from Vrak – Museum of Wrecks in Stockholm – did research together with the navy, writes the museum in a press release. The site is located in the strait outside the Swedish capital.
The discovery is defined by the museum as unique in a world context.
The pulse of marine archaeologists grew
Äpplet was launched in 1629 and built by the same shipbuilders who had completed the Vasa ship a year earlier.
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The wreck of the sister ship of Vasa Äpplet Oslo 20221005. The wreck of the sister ship of Vasa Äpplet was found in a strait near Vaxholm, say marine archaeologists from the Vrak – Museum of Wrecks in Stockholm. Here is the cannon port seen from the outside, on the upper deck of the battery aft to starboard. Photo: Jim Hansson, Vrak / SMTM / NTB
The sides of the wreck ship had partially fallen to the bottom, but the rest of the hull was preserved up to the lower gun deck. It could be ascertained that it was a warship with two cannon decks.
– The heartbeat really increased when we saw how similar the wreck was to the Vasa. Both the constructions and the powerful dimensions were very recognizable. The hope of finding one of Vasa’s sister ships has kindled with us, marine archaeologist Jim Hansson tells Vrak.
Traced oak logs
The researchers are delighted with the discovery, which should provide significant insight into shipbuilding at this time and the royal ship Vasa.
– It is clear that it is spectacular to find sunken ships from the 17th century, naval archaeologist Staffan Von Arbin of the University of Gothenburg tells TT.
Marine archaeologists Patrik Höglund and Jim Hansson have long searched for the wreck of the Äpplet. Here during a survey in 2019. Photo: Anneli Karlsson / TT / NTB
Measurements, technical details of the ship, wood samples and archival documents confirm that the shipwreck is the Äppelt.
The first investigations carried out last winter were followed by more in-depth studies this spring.
The divers then found technical details of the ship that until then had only been observed on Vasa and numerous tests and analyzes were carried out. Among other things, it emerged that the oak used for the ship’s timber was felled in 1627 in Mälardalen. It is the same place where the timber for Vasa was felled a few years earlier.
– Measurements, construction details, wood samples and archival material all pointed in the same direction: we had found Vasa’s sister ship, Äpplet! marine archaeologist Patrik Höglund tells Vrak.
Unstable, doomed and sunk
It was Gustavo II Adolfo who in 1625 ordered the construction of two large warships: Vasa and Äpplet. Just a year after the Vasa sank in 1628, Äpplet was completed. The builder was Hein Jakobsson, the same shipbuilder who completed the Vasa.
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The royal ship Vasa, which capsized and sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. Photo: Stina Stjernkvist / TT via AP
He realized that Vasa had the wrong proportions even before it was launched, and that this made the ship unstable. Äpplet was therefore built wider than Vasa, but Äpplet was not particularly successful either. The problem was that it was difficult to build large warships with multiple cannon decks.
When Sweden entered the Thirty Years’ War in 1630, Äpplet took part in the army that sailed against Germany. The ship was doomed in December 1658 and the following year she was sunk at Vaxholm.
Sought after for many years
Marine archaeologists have been searching for the wreck for several years. In 2019 they found two wrecks in Vaxholm that they thought might be the Äpplet. Investigations should show that it was instead of Apollo and Maria, two medium-sized ships from 1648, to have been found. Marine archaeologists did not give up and continued their research.
The discovery of Äpplet provides new and important knowledge, they point out.
– With Äpplet we can add another important step in the development of Swedish shipbuilding. And it’s only now that we can really examine the differences in the construction of Vasa and Äpplet, says Jim Hansson.
– Important piece in Swedish history
The ship is a valuable part of Sweden’s cultural heritage and is important for anyone looking to discover an exciting new piece of history, he adds.
– This will help us understand how great warships developed from the unstable Vasa to seaworthy ships that could dominate the Baltic Sea – a decisive factor for Sweden’s emergence as a great power in the 17th century, says Patrik Höglund.
Naval archaeologists are examining the wrecks of warships in several locations along the Swedish coast. The investigations are part of the “The Forgotten Fleet” research program, which is a collaboration between Swedish and Finnish institutions.
