Free Republic

The royal warship Vasa is seen at the Vasamuseet museum in Stockholm on April 24, 2011. (Scanpix Sweden, Anders Wiklund/AP Photo) ================================================================= 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...

Cavernous docks can shelter warships, with miles of tunnels, offices, and a hospital Sweden’s navy HQ is returning to a vast underground cold war fortress designed to withstand a nuclear attack, in what has been seen as a defensive move against a resurgent Russia. After a 25-year absence, the navy will once again be commanded from beneath billions of tonnes of granite as the country strives to build up its defences in response to the perceived threat from Moscow. The top secret naval base on Muskö, about 25 miles (40km) from Stockholm, resembles a cross between Tracy Island from Thunderbirds...

The Swedish navy's largest ship, HMS Carlskrona, is to be mothballed due to a lack of officers. A decision on whether to refit, sell or scrap the minelayer will be made later in the autumn. The Carlskrona returned from its most recent long voyage in 2005. Since then, it has been kept in port most of the time... The 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla in Karlskrona currently has 43 vacancies for officers. A number of officers resigned their commissions during the summer.