DRAWING A KEY LESSON FROM STOCKHOLM’S VASA MUSEUM

The Palaver

Some 25 years ago, a group of Committee Members of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) – mainly scribes – and I flew to Stockholm, Sweden, at the invitation of our counterparts, the Media Council of Sweden.

We were warmly received by our hosts and accommodated at the centrally located Kungs Hotel in Stockholm. We were subsequently informed that we would have at least four days before our official programme began.

A fellow colleague, veteran journalist and lawyer Jenerali Ulimwengu, and I decided to take some time out to sample a few Swedish lagers at the hotel’s pub on the first floor.

It was there that we met some friendly Stockholmers who strongly recommended that we make a point of visiting the Royal National City Park across Stockholm Bay, where the must-see Vasa Museum is located.

Having nothing much to do, we willingly embraced their advice and proceeded to the Vasa Museum. We were not disappointed.

The Vasa Museum indeed has a long history, dating back to the Swedish Kingdom of the 17th century under King Gustavus Adolphus.

Between 1621 and 1629, Sweden was at war with the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and King Gustavus was leading the campaign in Poland. He ordered that a mighty warship be built to support the war effort and in 1627, the Navy delivered. The ship was armed with bronze cannons cast specifically for her.

Named the Vasa, the ship was richly decorated and intended to be a symbol of the King’s ambitions for Sweden and himself. Upon completion, it would become one of the most powerful armed vessels in the world at that time. However, the Vasa was dangerously unstable, with too much weight in the upper structure of the hull. Despite this lack of stability, she was ordered to sea.

This was because King Gustavus was impatient to see her take up her station as the flagship of the Reserve Squadron. At the same time, the King’s subordinates lacked the political courage to openly discuss the ship’s flaws and propose a delay for her maiden voyage.

Therefore, on the morning of 10 August 1628, thousands of Stockholmers, foreign ambassadors – and of course, spies from the King’s enemies – gathered at the naval port to see the great ship set sail.

A few minutes later, after sailing only 1,300 metres, the ship capsized and sank in full view of the crowd, killing 30 people.

Following this tragic event, the Vasa fell into obscurity, although most of her bronze cannons were salvaged during the 17th century.

She was rediscovered in the 1950s in a busy shipping lane in Stockholm Harbour. In 1961, she was salvaged with a largely intact hull and is now housed in the National City Park.

Today, she is one of Sweden’s most popular tourist attractions. Since 1961, we were told, she has been seen by more than 31 million people.

The salvaged ship has provided scholars with invaluable insights into naval warfare and 17th-century shipbuilding techniques.

It is no wonder, therefore, that the following day we successfully convinced our colleagues and our hosts to have the entire group visit the Vasa Museum.

We felt it would serve as an important life lesson – a reminder that it is crucial to draw valuable lessons from our mistakes.

The author is a veteran journalist and communication expert/consultant. mpumilwa@gmail.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *