When the Vasa set sail in 1628 she was one of the mightiest warship
in the world. With 64 guns and 300 soldiers she was to put fear in the
hearts of the enemy. Warships specially built for carrying heavy
artillery have existed since the early 16th century. But it took a few
decades before the guns determined how the battles would end.
When warships met they usually fired a few shots at each other and
then entered close combat. The decisive moment was the boarding.
Soldiers jumped aboard the enemy vessel. The goal was to capture
the other ship - not to sink it.



Around 1650 - a few decades after the Vasa - this changed. At that
time the ship-of-the-line-tactics made its breakthrough. The enemy
fleets formed long lines and shot at each other. Close combat was no
longer the most important thing.

The warship Vasa is clearly from the transition between intense close
combat and the ship-of-the-line-tactics. She is armed with an
extremely powerful artillery - and at the same time well fitted out for
close combat. The high stern makes a good platform for firing down
at the enemy. The 300 soldiers could have been used for capturing
enemy warships.



The Vasa had heavy 24-pound guns on both her lower and upper
gundeck. The standardized artillery was an experiment with
supposedly great advantages. By limiting the number of sizes of
cannon-balls and gun powder-charges the warship became more
effective. Unfortunately the heavy guns on the upper gundeck was
one of the reasons why the Vasa capsized.