Rikswasa

On a first expedition to the battles in Poland in 1600, Rikswasa was the flagship of Admiral Bielkenstierna’s fleet. But by 1604, she was rebuilt and downgraded to a third-rate ship with only 32 guns.

In 1621, Rikswasa was part of the Swedish fleet that sailed across the Baltic Sea for the siege of Riga. The next year, she was anchored together with two other ships at Blockhusudden to guard the entrance to Stockholm. In 1623, the entire Swedish fleet gathered at Djurhamn, Värmdö. By the end of September, much of the fleet had left the gathering. Only a few ships remained, including Rikswasa.

A fire broke out on board the ship in October, resulting in an explosion in the gunpowder barrels located at the stern and spreading the fire throughout the ship. In a last-ditch effort to save the ship, it was grounded. The ship burned down almost to the waterline, its remains sinking below the surface.

The wreck remained here relatively undisturbed until the early 1960s, when divers found the hull. Two brothers who were divers came up with the idea of salvaging the blackened oak wood to make and sell furniture and ornaments. The brothers kept up their salvage activities until 1967, when the government established a new law to protect these types of remains. Today there is only a little wood left over from the wreck, plus some remains from the brothers’ salvaging.