How cool is this? Yes, Sweden rebuilt the wooden ship the Götheborg, using the same methodology at the time the original ship was built in . It took 20 years until finally she was launched on her maiden voyage on Sweden’s National Day in 2003.
It is now the largest wooden ship that sails in the world, and it is on a European tour (which you can jump on!). Check out where the ship is right at this moment here.
The original ship set sail to China and returned with many of goods in the late 18th century. However, before she could land at port, she hit a rock. Ops! Luckily, nobody was hurt (except maybe an ego here or there) and many of the goods of the ship were saved, giving investors their money’s worth.
The remains sank, and in 1984 an exhibition took place to see what was left of the ship. This is where some Swede got the crazy idea to rebuild the whole ship. From scratch. Using the same methods that were used in the 18th century.
Of course, there is safety equipment on board for the 50 crew team. Want to find out more about the Swedish ship Götheborg? Check out the video below, or visit their website (in English).
And yes, there is tons of footage in Swedish too. Here is the time to practice some of your Swedish!
The Götheborg, built 1738, actually made three journeys to China, each trip taking about two years. It was wrecked returning from it’s third voyage, running into a cliff in the archipelago outside Gothenburg.
Tack Thomas! 🙂