Sweden: Replica of 18th century ship to sail to Asia next year; may pass through Chennai

The Gotheborg which is 197-feet is considered to be the world's biggest functional wooden sailing sailboat. A comprehensive recreation of an armoured merchant ship that drowned in the year 1745 came into port in the Swedish capital, Stockholm on Thursday, before the journey to Asia on the upcoming next year. 

More about the replica of Gotheborg  

The almost 60-meter (197-foot) length Gotheborg of Sweden is described as the world's biggest operable wooden sailing yacht which will be used to represent Swedish companies and culture, as well as promote sustainability. Due to the rustic look, the ship got major attention from every port through which it has sailed.  

The second in command of the ship, Marielle Cocozza remarked that the ship is truly designed for ocean voyages. She further said that this visit to Stockholm was intended to enable the ship commanders to work collaboratively, which she believes they have accomplished.  

The history of Gotheborg 

While talking about the original Gotheborg, it is known that at the end of the ship's third roundtrip journey to China in 1745, the initial Gotheborg went ashore and sunk just before the surface of its native port of Goteborg. There were over 130 guys on deck, and they all made it out alive. Previously, the Swedish East India Company used to own the ship, which dealt with China and performed 132 journeys with 37 ships until suspending services in the year 1813. The debris of the ship was discovered in 1984, sparking the desire to create a duplicate. 

In 1995, the building on the ship began and it was completed eight years later. In 2005, the first journey from Goteborg to Stockholm was completed. The ship started to sail the legendary voyage to Asia and returned between 2005 and 2007. In 2015, they completed the most recent of numerous trips throughout Europe. 

August Jansson, the captain of the ship, commented that they have been expecting forward to this voyage since their previous trip to China. He further said that now that it appears to be true and the ship crew is all quite happy. Till September 4th, the  Gotheborg of Sweden will stay in Stockholm. Following that the ship will return to the hometown and will take preparation to sail towards the furthest East via the Suez Canal in April 2022. 

In the upcoming voyage, as per it is planned, the ship will halt in London, Lisbon, Palma de Mallorca, Athens, Alexandria, Djibouti, Muscat, Chennai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, however, the precise route has yet to be determined. 

(Image Credit: AP)