Stora Sofia
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The Stora Sofia (the "Big Sofia", sometimes also spelled "Sophia" or "Sancte Sophia") was a Danish ship of the line that sank on May 25, 1645 near Buskär outside the harbour of Göteborg.
The ship was built in 1627 on the Slottö shipyard in Nakskov in Denmark after a design of Scottish ship-builder Daniel Sinclair. The Stora Sofia was the flagship of the navy of the Danish king Christian IV. She was armed with 44 cannons on three decks; according to contemporary sources, she had four 48-pounders, eighteen 24-pounders, twenty 8-pounders and several smaller cannons.
During the short Torstenson War between Denmark-Norway and Sweden in 1645, Denmark put an embargo on the young city of Göteborg, founded in 1621. The Stora Sofia was the flagship of a Danish fleet under admiral Ove Gjedde that should enforce that embargo. Shortly after the arrival of the fleet, a storm broke loose and threw the Stora Sofia onto the rocks. The ship sank to a depth of 27 metres; her crew was saved.
The wreck was rediscovered only in 1961. More thorough explorations and archeological studies began in the 1980s.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Bergstrand, T.: Stora Sofia – från förfall till bevarande; Marinarkeologisk tidskrift 4–2003, pp. 10 –13. Swedish Marine Archeological Society; ISSN 1100-9632.
- Nielsen, E.: Sancte Sophia. Last accessed December 15, 2005.
