Vasa was a Swedish warship launched in 1628 and famously sank on her maiden voyage just minutes after setting sail. Built to showcase Sweden’s naval power, she was heavily armed but top-heavy and unstable. The ship capsized in Stockholm harbour with the loss of around 30 lives.

After over 300 years underwater, Vasa was raised in 1961 in a remarkable feat of marine archaeology. Now housed in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, she is the world’s best-preserved 17th-century warship and a striking reminder of the ambitions—and flaws—of early naval engineering.