Riksäpplet

The ship was built at the naval shipyard at Stigberget in Gothenburg and was completed in 1663. A gilded carved apple on the poop deck bears the ship’s name: Riksäpplet (the Royal Apple). The ship was sailed up to Stockholm but was then laid up there until 1674.

The following year, war broke out with Denmark and Riksäpplet ventured out along with the rest of the fleet. The expedition ended in a fiasco – they had to turn around as soon as they reached Gotland because the crew was sick.

In 1676, the fleet was ready for another attempt. But when it collided with a Danish–Dutch fleet at Öland on 1 June, nothing went the Swedes’ way. Two of the biggest Swedish ships went down and the rest of the fleet fled north. Some ships, including Riksäpplet, sought shelter at Dalarö Skans in the Stockholm archipelago. But in a fierce storm on 5 June, the ship tore itself from its moorings, grounded and sank to a depth of 16 metres.

The navy attempted to salvage the ship, but failed. In the 1920s, the salvage company Olschanski was granted permission to remove some of the timber, which was then sold to make exclusive furniture.

Today, the stern and part of the port frame remain. Some of the ribs on port side measure 2–3 metres high, and the planking remains as well. The interior is buried by a huge amount of wreckage. Among it are the remains of the galley, barrels and various types of cordage.