Largest wooden sailing ship

The largest wooden sailing ship is the Götheborg (SWE), a replica of vessel that sailed with the Swedish East India Company between 1738 and 1735. She measures 58 m (190 ft) from stern to bowsprit, and has a gross tonnage of 788. Götheborg's keel was laid down 11 June 1995, and she was finally launched on 6 June 2003.

The original Götheborg sank while navigating the rocky shoreline just north of its home port of Gothenburg, Sweden, having recently returned from a years long voyage to China. The wreck was discovered in by divers in Dec 1984, and was in a surprisingly good state of preservation due to the cold anerobic conditions.

When combined with contemporary records of her construction, the information gleaned from the survey of the wreck provided enough detail for it to be possible to build a near-exact replica of the original vessel. A non-profit was established to raise money and construction started in 1995. The present-day Götheborg is a very close replica of the original, but has been subtly altered to incorporate features required by modern maritime law including navigational equipment, motors (for in-shore navigation) and fire-safety systems. The ceilings of the lower decks are also 10 cm (4 in) higher to accomodate the height of modern sailors.