[TomB]

Maybe it was one of those special Swedish self-sinking ships like the Vasa:

"In 1628 the ship was ready. Sunday August 10 was the day of the Vasa's maiden voyage. The beaches around Stockholm were filled with spectators, among them foreign diplomats. The maiden voyage was to be an act of propaganda for the ambitious Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus.

The Vasa set sail and fired a salute. But only after a few minutes of sailing the ship began to heel over. She righted herself slightly - and heeled over again. Water started to gush in through the open gunports. And, to everyones horror and disbelief, the glorious and mighty warship suddenly sank! Of the 150 people on board, 30-50 died in the disaster. When Vasa had been salvaged in 1961, archaeologists found the remains of 25 skeletons."

Funny, the whole idea of a self destructing boat never caught on.

[THX 1138]

I thought the correct spelling was "Wasa"? At least that's how I've seen it before.

The reason the ship sank so quickly is simple. In the original design, the king's shipbuilders gave it one deck of guns. King Adolphus insisted on a second deck being added. Nobody dared contradict the king, so it was done. Which, of course, made the ship top-heavy.

What an idiot.