On August 10, 1628, the warship Vasa set sail from Stockholm harbor. She was the pride of Sweden, and she looked ready for a fight.
They sent her to sea anyway, despite warnings that she was dangerously unstable.
Too much weight sat high in the hull.
The test?
Thirty men ran back and forth across the deck. The test was stopped because of fears the ship would sink.
About twenty minutes later, she had covered only 4,265 feet (1,300 meters).
A light gust tipped her sideways.
At the inquiry, Lieutenant Petter Gierdsson said the wind was too weak to pull the sail ropes, though the pulleys were well lubricated. The crew had to push the ropes out by hand. One man could hold a rope.
Water poured in through the open gunports, the cannon openings on the lower deck.
Vasa sank in front of thousands of people.
About 30 of nearly 150 people on board died.
She lay on the seabed for 333 years.
Today she stands in a museum.
Sweden's pride did not fall in battle.
She fell under her own weight.
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