A Vasa ship for Karlskrona?

The Swedish Maritime Museum writes in a press release that the wreck found outside Karlskrona last year is likely warship Blekinge from 1682. 

  • Photo: Jim Hansson, Sjöhistoriska Museet
  • The Vasa Museum houses one of Stockholm, Sweden’s main attractions: the 1628 warship that was raised from its underwater grave 350 years later. Marine archaeologists recently discovered a similar wreck, that of a warship this is likely the Blekinge.

  • The Blekinge, launched in 1682, was in service for decades until it sank in 1713. Marine archaeologists found the wreck near Karlskrona in southern Sweden following a tip from the Swedish Navy. At 45 meters long and with 68 to 70 cannons, it is similar to the Vasa. "It participated in, among other things, King Karl XII’s sea assault against Denmark in 1700,” said Jim Hansson of the Swedish National Maritime Museums. The ship will not be raised, but extensive exploration of the ship and its interior is planned.