"Äpplet": Sensational find: Researchers discover warship from the 17th century on the seabed

Marine archaeologists have made a sensational find near Stockholm: They were able to prove that a ship discovered in the coastal landscape of the archipelago is a sister ship of the legendary "Vasa".

"Äpplet": Sensational find: Researchers discover warship from the 17th century on the seabed

Marine archaeologists have made a sensational find near Stockholm: They were able to prove that a ship discovered in the coastal landscape of the archipelago is a sister ship of the legendary "Vasa". This was announced by the Vrak Museum and spoke of a "worldwide unique find".

According to the findings, the ship at the bottom of the sea is the "Äpplet" - which means "the apple" in German. Archaeologists had already discovered the wreck in 2021 near the island of Vaxholm east of Stockholm. Technical details and wood samples have shown that the wreck was actually the "Äpplet", a Swedish warship from the 17th century.

It was built on the orders of the Swedish Gustav II Adolf along with three other ships. The two larger ships in this series were the "Äpplet" and the "Vasa", which was named after the ruling dynasty. The fate of the "Vasa" is legendary: She was launched in 1627, was one of the largest and most heavily armed warships of her time, but sank on her maiden voyage on August 10, 1628. The mighty ship only got a little more than a kilometer far .

The "Vasa" was recovered and restored in 1961 and is now in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Her sister ship, the "Äpplet", was completed in 1629 and was in service until 1658 - including during the Thirty Years' War. An inspection revealed that the ship was in such poor condition that it was no longer worth repairing. It was then sunk, but has been lost until now.

The latest find is all the more important for archaeologists. "The finding of the Äpplet offers important new knowledge about Swedish shipbuilding and Swedish cultural heritage," said Museum Vrak.

Sources: Vrak on Instagram / Vrak

See the photo series: In 1915, the "Endurance" sank, with which the British adventurer Ernest Shackleton wanted to land in Antarctica. More than a hundred years later, a crew of archaeologists and ice researchers find the wreck - largely intact at a depth of 3008 meters.

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