WASA TRIUMPHANT INTRODUCTION: "A Mighty Source of Inspiration" by His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf King of Sweden
Almost thirty years ago, the Swedish private naval historian Anders Franzen located the Royal Warship Wasa in the harbor of Stockholm. When the ship was finally raised in 1961, 333 years had passed since the Wasa capsized and sank on her maiden voyage in August 1628. The resurrected warship soon became a major tourist attraction, and also a mighty source of inspiration for the rapidly growing science of underwater archaeological research. With great interest , I have followed the work of preserving and restoring the ship. During many visits to the Wasa Museum, I have been able to see for myself that this work has been successful . The wreck has again turned into a splendid and almost complete 17th century ship. For the greatest part, it has been possible to use in the restoration original details , found in and around the ship . More than 700 sculptures have once decorated the stern, galleries, beakhead and other parts of the ship. Many of these figures that thrill the imagination are again back where they used to be. The plans for a New Wasa Museum, the final port of destination for the Royal Warship , are approaching reality . An architectural competition for the design of this building ended in late 1982. The competition drew almost 400 entries, the largest number ever in Scandinavia. I hope that the Wasa within this decade will get the new museum, which she needs and deserves so well. The people working with the Wasa project have in many respects performed inspiring pioneering feats in the fields of salvaging, excavating, preserving and restoring the ship , as well as measuring her and making the drawings that our ancestors could not produce. I am particularly happy that a great deal of valuable experience has , over the years, been forwarded on to the skillful team that has now completed the raising of King Henry VIIl's ship Mary Rose. Through three legendary men of war-the Mary Rose, the Wasa and the Victory-Britain and Sweden will together be able to pass on invaluable knowledge about the evolution of naval architecture during three very interesting centuries.
On April 21, 1982, King Carl Gustaf presented the World Ship Trust Award to the Na tional Maritime Museum of Sweden, keepers of the Wasa, ''to honor those whose work has enriched the world 's sea history heritage by salvaging and restoring the royal ship Wasa. "
SEA HIS10RY, SPRING 1983
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