The Swedish East Indiaman Götheborg ran aground at the entrance to Göteborg on 12 September 1745. The ship was fully laden with goods such as tea, porcelain, silk and spices, and had almost reached dock after her third voyage to China, which had lasted a full 30 months. There was not much left of the ship in December 1984, according to the divers who descended to the sea bed by the submerged rock, Hunnebådan, 900 metres from New Elfsborg Fortress. Yet it would emerge that, under layers of clay, there was a great deal to rediscover. A marine archaeological excavation lasting from 1986 to 1992 opened the door to a by gone century, adventurous voyages and trade with China. And awakened the dream of rebuilding the ship.

The Swedish East Indiaman Götheborg Foundation was established in 1986 for the excavation. A fundraising foundation with the wholly owned subsidiary company Svenska Ostindiska Companiet AB (SOIC) was established in 1993. The firrst step in the exciting construction project was taken in June 1995. The long awaited First sea trial took place on 22 May 2005.

The project has attracted great attention in China. In April 2004, The Swedish Ship was visited by China’s Foreign Minister Mr Li Xiaoxing, who welcomed the ship to China. China’s Deputy Prime Minister, Madame Wu Yi, visited Terra Nova in September 2004. Both emphasised the importance of The Swedish Ship “Götheborg” as a symbol for trade, cultural exchange and friendship between Sweden and China.

The Swedish Ship Götheborg - a reconstruction of a ship from the mid-18th century is now one of the largest fullrigged wooden sailing ships in the world, and meets international safety requirements for ocean going vessels. The project is based on modern research combined with the revival of traditional methods of craftsmanship dating from the 18th century. Anyone meeting The Swedish Ship Götheborg under full sail out at sea would find it impossible to distinguish her from the original ship.

Finally I’ve sorted all the 153 photos we took in Visby the other day when we went there to see all the magnificent old wooden ships that were visiting Visby harbor. It’s so difficult to delete photos!

It was almost like being thrown back in time, feeling the magic of this ships history. Walking on historic grounds… erhm… I mean deck. You can’t resist falling in love with those wonderful old ships!

Here is the proof that I’ve sat my foot on this marvelous ship:

We (Me, hubby and Per, the farmer) had a wonderful day there even if the weather wasn’t the best. We managed to just barely avoid the rain showers. We stayed at the old brig Gerda during the worst showers,

I must say that there was a very friendly and nice atmosphere at Gerda. We were also having a good time at their bar. They had some whisky tasting of the only Swedish whisky Mackmyra.

Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) was another Brig visiting, who is modelled after Gladan, built in 1857 as a cargo navy ship. Four gentlemen with a passion for beauty, navigation and sailing vessels launched the Stockholm Brig project in 1993, but it’s traditional Launching wasn’t until August, 2005 with her first official premier sailing July 2007. In 2008 she is doing her maiden journey.

There were also a Schooner from Åland visiting - besides all the other modern boats in the harbor, some luxury indeed with the champagne on the table ready - yum!

Of course my hungry monster stomach demanded that we did eat something there too, but it was nothing fancy, just some pasta dishes down at one of the restaurants in the harbor. After that we went shopping for some things that Per needed and then headed home - arriving late in the evening.

Don’t miss all Lifecruiser glorious photos from the ships in Visby 2008! (I’ve written some more info at some of the photos)

You can read more about those ships at these links:
Swedish Ship Ghöteborg
Swedish Brig Tre Kronor
Swedish Brig Gerda (Only in Swedish)
Schooner Linden (From Åland)