East Indiaman Götheborg
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The East Indiaman Götheborg is a large wooden sailship, a replica of the vessel with the same name. The original sank off Gothenburg on the 12 September 1745 while approaching its home harbour after returning from her third voyage to Asia. All sailors survived, but the ship was lost.
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[edit] The Swedish East India Company
The Swedish East India Company was established 14 June 1731, its purpose to trade in southeast Asia. The company followed the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danish, the French and the British. The company got a 15 year monopoly on the trade and the goods exchanged were Swedish timber, tar, iron and copper against silver, tea, porcelain and silk. The company was situated in Gothenburg, while most of the ships were built in Stockholm, among them the vessel that has now been made a replica of.
The company existed for 82 years and its vessels made 132 expeditions with 38 different ships. Even though the company in the end went bankrupt it made an enormous profit in most of its years of operation and it has influenced Swedish history in a number of ways.
[edit] The Götheborg revived
When the wreckage of the vessel Götheborg was found in 1985 the idea emerged of making a replica of the vessel. The keel for the replica was laid the 11 June 1995. The vessel was built using traditional means and is as close to the original as possible. One small change is that the height of the deck is 10 cm more as today's seamen are taller than their ancestors.
While the exterior remains true to the original, the interior is highly modern. The perhaps most important differences are electricity and propellers powered by diesel engines. The engines are however only intended for port navigation and in emergency situations. Other enhancements include electronic navigation and communications equipment, modern crew facilities (kitchen, lavatories, washing machines, desalination equipment, ventilation, refrigerators etc.), watertight bulkheads and fire protection (fire sprinkler systems, fire hydrants etc.). Most of this new technology is necessary to pass national and international safety regulations.
The vessel was launched 6 June 2003 with great festivity, and the Swedish Royals were represented. 10 tons of ropes were to be used in rigging the vessel, together with some 1,000 blocks and 1,800 m² sail, all produced as in the "old days". The first trial under sail was 18 April 2005.
The project has so far cost some 250 million SEK ($30 million), some 40% from public funds and the rest from sponsors.
[edit] The voyage to Southeast Asia and China
After various tests and achieving its safety certificates from Det Norske Veritas the vessel sailed for China in October 2005, as the original vessel did, but it did not follow the same route. The vessel berthed at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, and then left for Hout Bay today before continuing on its voyage. The voyage is expected to take about two years, with the vessel returning in September 2007. Among the harbours to be visited are Cadiz, Recife, Cape Town, Singapore and Shanghai. The total list of legs with cities and distances are listed below.
- Leg 1 - Gothenburg to Cadiz - 2,400 nautical miles
- Leg 2 - Cadiz to Recife - 3,100 nm
- Leg 3 - Recife to Cape Town - 4,200 nm
- Leg 4 - Cape Town to Fremantle - 4,900 nm
- Leg 5 - Fremantle to Jakarta - 1,800 nm
- Leg 6 - Jakarta to Guangdong - 2,000 nm and Shanghai - 900 nm
- Leg 7 - Shanghai to Hong Kong - 800 nm and Singapore - 1,800 nm
- Leg 8 - Singapore to Mauritius - 2,900 nm
- Leg 9 - Mauritius to Port Elizabeth and Cape Town - 2,400 nm
- Leg 10 - Cape Town to Ascension Island - 2,500 nm
- Leg 11 - Ascension to Azores - 4,700 nm
- Leg 12 - Azores to London and Gothenburg - 2,600 nm
An alternative route for the voyage home is under evaluation according to the official Swedish web site. The route will probably go through The Suez Canal and The Mediterranian.
[edit] Facts about the ship
- Length: 40,9 m
- Total length including bowsprit: 58,5 m
- Beam: 11 m
- Sail area: 1,900 m²
- Draugth at the stern: 5.25 m
- Draugth at the bow: 4,75 m
- Ballast: 400 tonnes
- Displacement (weight of ship and load): 1,150 tonnes
- Engines: 2 Volvo Penta 2x22 kWh, with a combined output of 1,100 horsepower (820 kW). Four fuel tanks with a total capacity of 36.000 litres.
- Average speed: 5 to 6 knots (9 to 11 km/h), with a max. engine speed of 8 knots (15 km/h)
- Crew: 80, of whom 50 are trainees
- Bunkering: Food for 80 people for 60 days and spare for another 30 days
- Navigation and communication equipment: GPS, radar and Satcom B (a Inmarsat B terminal)
- Desalination equipment capable of producing 18.000 litres of fresh water during a 24-hour period.
- 14 cannons (for salute). The original ship had 30, both six- and threepounders for self-defence against pirates and hijackers.
[edit] External links
