Research

The National Maritime Museums is entering a new phase of research in collaboration with Stockholm University. For a long time now we have led the international research programme into the conservation and preservation of the royal ship Vasa.

The Royal College of Technology in Stockholm, where wood from the Vasa is being examined, is a partner in the research.
Conservator Emma Hocker scrutinises samples of Vasa wood.

Centre for Maritime Research

On January 1, 2010 the Centre for Maritime Research (CEMAS) at Stockholm University. CEMAS is a collaborative project between SMM and Stockholm University and will proceed for six years.

Researchers and doctoral students from universities and colleges of higher education in the whole country will be attached to CEMAS to study archaeology, ethnology and history with a main focus on the maritime cultural heritage.

On an international level, Sweden has extremely good qualifications for initiating important research into the maritime cultural heritage. The royal ship Vasa, and the Baltic Sea treasure chest of uniquely preserved wrecks, are just two examples.

Preservation of the Vasa – A Future for the Vasa

Autumn 2008 witnessed the beginning of a three-year research project ‘A Future for the Vasa’. The aim was to prevent the decomposition of Vasa’s wood. The researchers examined the conserved wood and attempted to determine the speed of the breakdown process and the vulnerability of the wood.

The project was a follow-up to a previous internationally renowned research project called ‘Preserve the Vasa’, which ran from 2003 until 2006. At that time the alarm concerned sulphur emissions from the ship and the deterioration of artefacts.

This research is being conducted in collaboration with several institutes and is financed by The Swedish Research Council Formas, The Swedish Council for Strategic Research (SSF), The Swedish Research Council and The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova).

Vasa research – Understanding the Vasa

Since 2002 a long-term scientific study into every aspect of the Vasa has been in progress. The research project is entitled ‘Understanding the Vasa’ and the archaeologist Fred Hocker is leading the work with a series of new projects which provide information about the ship and its finds. Previous studies undertaken in relation to the salvaging and excavation of the Vasa have been amalgamated. In 2006, within the scope of the project, the English-language publication on Vasa’s discovery, salvage and excavation was published under the title ‘Vasa I – The Archaeology of a Swedish Warship of 1628’.