In the summer of 2022, the Götheborg – a replica of an 18th century Swedish East India Company ship which sank in the port of Gothenburg in 1745 – docked at Canary Wharf in London. It holds the title of the world’s largest wooden sailing ship.
The replica, constructed in 1995 and launched in 2003, was built on a one-to-one scale to the original trading vessel. It requires numerous crew members to operate on the open seas. Most crew members are volunteers or paying ‘deckhands’ who join the ship in the various ports she stops at, learning the skills of 18th century sailors.
This year she will be sailing through Europe and will continue to Asia in 2023 on a two-year long expedition, following a similar route to East India trading vessels of the 1700s. It will be the Götheborg’s second trip to Asia, the first ending in Shanghai, China in 2007.
Video produced of History Hit
