Most intact sailing warship (salvaged)

- Who
- Vasa
- What
- 98 percentage
- Where
- Sweden (Stockholm)
- When
- 24 April 1961
Completed in 1627, the Vasa was a Swedish warship and one of the most state-of-the-art vessels of its time. Lavishly decorated, it was conceived and designed as a symbol of the royal power of Sweden's King Gustavus Adolphus (1594–1632). However, on 10 August 1628, only 1.3 km (0.8 mi) into its maiden voyage, the Vasa sank in Stockholm Harbour when a gust of wind filled the sails, blew the ship onto its side and water poured in through the open gunports. Rediscovered in 1956, the wreck was raised on 24 April 1961 and incredibly approximately 98% of its wooden structure, including intricate sculptures and carved panels, was preserved.
The Vasa is also the largest known sailing warship to ever have been raised, with a length of 69 m (226 ft), a keel length of 39 m (129 ft) and stern height of 18.7 m (61 ft); with masts included, its height would have reached approximately 52.5 m (172 ft). This compares to a keel length of 32 m (105 ft) for the famous Tudor warship the Mary Rose which was salvaged from the Solent, off Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK, in 1982; approximately only one-third of that ship remains.
A key design fault that caused the Vasa to capsize so easily was that the vessel had been built with its centre of gravity too high.
The wreck is now housed at the Vasamuseet in Stockholm, Sweden, which with between 1 million and 1.5 million visitors in a typical year is the most visited shipwreck museum in the world.
The popularity of this shipwreck is largely down to its incredible condition and lavish, ornate carvings. Its remarkable condition is the result of the cold, brackish waters of the Baltic Sea where it sank, conditions unfavourable to shipworm (Teredo navalis), as well as shelter from rough seas afforded by the harbour.
In October 2022, the discovery of the Vasa's sister ship – Äpplet (Apple) – in Stockholm Harbour was announced. Unlike the Vasa, this ship was scuttled intentionally in 1659 to form a barrier to prevent the access of enemy ships to the port.