The Ghost Ship Vasa, the famous Swedish warship, remained intact after centuries buried beneath the sea, becoming the final resting place for 30 sailors, and continues to surprise archaeologists.
According to Heritage Daily, the latest analysis of the human remains found on the Vasa warship has identified a skeleton nicknamed “G” as a female, which is quite unusual for an ancient warship, where women were typically not allowed onboard due to historical beliefs.
The Vasa was a warship constructed under the orders of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden as part of his military expansion plans during the war with Poland-Lithuania (1621-1629).
The Vasa warship could have become a nightmare for the world due to its advanced weaponry for the time; however, it met with disaster on its maiden voyage – (Photo: VASA MUSEUM).
Built at the naval shipyard in Stockholm between 1626 and 1627, the Vasa was lavishly decorated and armed with bronze cannons. This made the Vasa one of the most heavily armed ships in the world at that time.
On August 10, 1628, the ship set sail on its maiden voyage and encountered disaster due to excessive weight in its upper structure. The ship sank, resulting in the deaths of 30 sailors.
The Ghost Ship Vasa was salvaged in 1961 in surprisingly good condition and became the site of a comprehensive archaeological excavation, including the analysis of numerous remains trapped within the ship.
“Through bone analysis, we can uncover a lot about these individuals, such as their age, height, and medical history. Bone analysts have recently speculated that G might be female based on the pelvis bones,” stated Dr. Fred Hocker, director of research at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.
They expect that further DNA analysis could reveal even more.
The Vasa Museum has collaborated with the Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology at Uppsala University in Sweden since 2004 to conduct a comprehensive study of all artifacts discovered on the Vasa ship.
“For us, studying the skeletons from the Vasa is both exciting and challenging,” said forensic genetics professor Marie Allen, a member of the research team.
Extracting DNA from bones that have been buried beneath the sea for centuries is very difficult, but there are ways to do it.
“A few years ago, we had indications that Skeleton G was not male but female. We did not find any Y chromosomes in G’s genetic material. However, we could not be certain and wanted to confirm the results,” Allen added.
Thanks to a cross-laboratory study conducted in collaboration with Dr. Kimberly Andreaggi from the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFMES-AFDIL), the team devised a new testing technique to examine multiple genetic variants and confirm the unusual presence of a female sailor – or possibly the wife of a sailor on board.
Scientists are continuing to use this method to uncover details about the individuals’ appearances, such as their hair and eye color, and even potentially their family origins.
The final results will be presented in an exhibition at the museum and a book about those who perished aboard the ghost ship Vasa.
