AIRFIX
AIRFIX - WASA - VINTAGE CLASSIC - SCALA 1:144 - COD. A09256V
NOT AVAILABLE
AIRFIX - WASA - VINTAGE CLASSIC - 1:144 SCALE - CODE A09256V - WE DO NOT SHIP TO THE CANARY ISLANDS - Launched in 1628, Wasa was one of four ships commissioned by the Swedish monarch Gustav II Adolf, with the intention of strengthening his Baltic fleet so that it could resist the expected invasion of Scandinavia by the German Empire. In 1627, a new ship was launched and ceremonially armed, loading aboard 64 bronze cannons totaling over 70 tons. The ship's crew consisted of 133 sailors and 300 soldiers. Disaster struck Wasa on August 10, 1628, in the port of Stockholm, on the threshold of her maiden voyage. A massive gale surprised the crew, who failed to secure the lower gun holes. Through these, huge masses of water immediately began to rush in, and it became clear that the ship was already lost. In the following years, several attempts were made to save Wasa, but the only success was the extraction of most of the cannons in 1664-65. Then, for 300 years, all efforts were halted, and finally, in 1954, an attempt was made to raise the ship using state-of-the-art technology. After five years of preparations, the "storm" began. The hull was lashed with 24 ropes to which special pontoons were attached. Filled with air, they gently lifted it to the surface. Gradually moved into shallower waters, the ship finally safely reached dry dock on April 24, 1961, 333 years after the disastrous disaster. The restoration work, compared to the previous undertaking, seemed a minor problem, and after a few years, the pride of the Swedish Royal Navy was made available to the public.