New Gotheburg launched

By LCDR Andrew Stackpool courtesy Swedish Navy
On Friday June 6, to the Swedish equivalent of “Take up the slack” and “Out Chocks” a replica of the Swedish East Indiaman Gotheborg slid majestically down the ways and entered the water for the first time at her home city of Gothenborg.

King Carl XVI Gustaf, who is also the Project patron, launched her.

This was the first time in 200 years such a tall ship had been built in Sweden and seven years since the idea to construct the ship was mooted. She is the second replica of an East Indiaman after the Dutch Batavia, though from a later period.
As the 530-ton ship entered the water and was then secured to a waiting dock she was cheered by tens of thousands of spectators.

Some of these would have been cheers of relief. Once the ship began heading for the water she was beyond human control and moving at 12 knots.

“Since I first heard about the project to reconstruct the ship, I have followed every step in its progress with great interest. Many, many people have put a lot of effort into realising this amazing adventure,” His Majesty said.

“I wish her good luck on the seven seas. I will continue to follow her destiny in the future now that I have had the honour of launching her today.”

The original Gotheborg was constructed in 1738 for the Swedish East India Company and made three passages to China on the lucrative tea trade. In 1745 she was wrecked on rocks off her homeport. From then until 1907 periodic salvage operations were carried out and between 1986 and 1993 an extensive archaeological excavation was undertaken. It was this that led to the construction of the replica.

“The launch today is just the beginning. It is now the adventure really starts”, Jörgen Gabrielson, General Manager of the Swedish East India Company said.

Gotheborg will remain alongside fitting out and stepping her masts and rigging before starting sea trials in early 2004.

Then in April she will depart Sweden on her maiden, re-enactment voyage to China. She is expected to visit Fremantle in April 2005.

Ships from the English, Swedish, Dutch and French East India Companies have a significant role in Australia’s maritime history.

The coastline of Western Australia gave many of them their first landfall after running their Eastings down from Capetown, across the Roaring 40s. With no means of determining their longitude this gave them the signal to alter course north for the Spice Islands and China.

Tragically many were to become wrecks along the inhospitable coast. The loss of the original Batavia and the subsequent mutiny and massacre of many of the survivors is the most famous of these. And all decades before LEUT James Cook arrived off the east coast.

Navy News also wishes the ship fair winds and good fortune.

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