Posted on 04/04/2023 9:48:30 AM PDT by Red Badger
The royal warship Vasa is seen at the Vasamuseet museum in Stockholm on April 24, 2011. (Scanpix Sweden, Anders Wiklund/AP Photo)
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark—A U.S. military laboratory has helped Swedes confirm what was suspected for years: A woman was among those who died on a 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage, the museum that displays the ship said Tuesday.
The wreck of the royal warship Vasa was raised in 1961, and was remarkably well-preserved after more than 300 years underwater in the Stockholm harbor. It has since been place at the Vasa Museum, one of Stockholm’s top tourist attractions where visitors can admire its intricate wooden carvings.
Some 30 people died when the Vasa keeled over and sank just minutes after leaving port in 1628. They are believed to have been crew members and most of their identities are unknown.
For years, there were indications that one of the victims, known as G, was a woman, because of the appearance of the hip bone, Fred Hocker, research leader at the Vasa Museum, said in a statement.
Anna Maria Forsberg, a historian with the Vasa Museum, told The Associated Press that women were not part of the crew in the Swedish navy in the 17th century, but they could be on board as guests. Seamen were allowed to have their wives with them onboard unless the ship was going into battle or going for a long journey.
“We know from written sources that around 30 people died that day,” Forsberg said. “It is thus likely that she was a seaman’s wife who wanted to come along on the maiden journey of this new, impressive ship.”
She said the exact number of people on board that day was not known “but we think there were around 150 people. An additional 300 soldiers were supposed to board further out in the archipelago,” she said.
Since 2004, the Vasa Museum collaborated with the Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology at Uppsala University, which examined all the skeletons on Vasa in order to find out as much as possible about the various individuals on the doomed vessel.
“It is very difficult to extract DNA from bones that have been on the seabed for 333 years, but not impossible,” Marie Allen, professor of forensic genetics at Uppsala University said in the statement. “Simply put, we found no Y chromosomes in G’s genome. But we couldn’t be completely sure and we wanted to have the results confirmed.”
So they turned to the Delaware-based Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory. And thanks to the forensics laboratory specializing in DNA profiling at the Dover Air Force Base, “we have been able to confirm that the individual G was a woman, using the new test,” Allen said.
The Vasa which was supposed to go to a naval base outside Stockholm to wait for the boarding of the soldiers, is believed to have sunk because it lacked the ballast to counterweigh its heavy guns.
By Jan M. Olsen
“Eerily similar to what happened to Henry VIII’s Mary Rose.”
The Mary Rose served 33 years.
LOL!
“were/was”
“The Mary Rose was modified adding another row of guns making her more top heavy.”
As opposed to the Vasa whose original design was two gun decks.
I don't watch any of that crap to get my info. Instead, I stay in a Holiday Inn Express, and watch British history, and archaeology programs, featuring Osteoarchaeologists, DNA experts, etc.
Why did it sink? That’s what I want to know.
Capsized within minutes of launching........... Top heavy......... Not enough ballast..........
My oldest son went to Stockholm a couple of years before the scamdemic, and went to see The Vasa. He brought me back a magnet, and a book about it. I’m fascinated by stuff like this. And after finding out I have at least 22% Danish and Swedish DNA, it makes me even more interested in the history there.
“I was told ...”
Read the article.
= = =
Maybe I visited the Vasa, and got some first hand info.
Having lived in Sweden off and on for years, I have been to the museum many times. I have a number of books about the Vasa.
If you look closely at pictures of the ship, you can obviously see the added on gun deck level. It is widely written about that the king wanted another gun deck level due to rapidly changing warship technology.
https://faculty.up.edu/lulay/failure/vasacasestudy.pdf
The above link explains the changes in specifications made by King Gustavus Adolphus over the course of construction. This aligns with the presentations, books and displays at the museum.
Wikipedia also does not completely explain the changes made to the Vasa, compared to the explanations provided in the museum. I believe the author of the article used Wiki as their source material rather than the more scientific explanations.
You gonna believe me,
or EPOCH Times (behind a paywall)?
so that is why women have been considered to bad luck on ships.
Another top-heavy sea-going vessel...
***one of the victims, known as G, was a woman, because of the appearance of the hip bone,***
But, but now anthropologists are saying they cannot tell the difference between the skeleton of a man or woman!
Yet they could tell that a three million year old skeleton was a female(Lucy).
And now an old American Indian grave has been uncovered with the skeleton of a two year old BOY!
Most likely a “Port of Call” woman who was just taking a joy ride.
“is believed to have sunk because it lacked the ballast to counterweigh its heavy guns.”
Isn’t that why you put guns on both sides? To counterbalance each side?
And maybe “G” identified as a man, how dare they misgender her/him.
BS. According to Professor Gabby Yearwood you cannot tell men apart from women based on their skeletal remains.
And do the laundry.
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