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#1 |
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Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking
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The ship sank in 1628.
As the light at the museum is very low many of the pics are quite poor. A note on the firearms: they were not recovered from the wreck but are on loan from the collections at the Livrustkammaren, the former Royal Arsenal. Sadly they are inappropriate pieces in that they were made 20-30 years after the ship had sunken. The matchlock musket is from the 1640's, the two wheel-lock pistols from the 1640's and 1650's respectively. Note the two incendiary quoits. Michael Last edited by Matchlock; 8th March 2009 at 06:56 PM. |
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#2 |
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#3 |
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#4 |
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#5 |
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#6 |
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Once again the matchlock musket and wheel-lock pistols on display at the Vasa Museum, 1640's-50's, in comparison with samples of the 1620's-30 from the Army Museum Stockholm.
While, amongst other details, the older muskets have broad fishtail butt stocks, the one on display at the Vasa Museum shows the more advanced rounded belly butt of the 1640's. After ca. 1650, the rounded form took over and the pronounced sides of the earlier years began to vanish. From ca. 1670 onward, the "modern" musket butt stock had reached its final form still featured on 21st century British shotguns. The wheel-lock pistols of ca. 1625-30 were shorter than those of the the late 1640`s-50's. Michael |
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#7 |
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Matchlock muskets, ca. 1620-50, the second from top dated 1626, the fourth ca. 1650, a flintlock musket of ca. 1670 and the latest form of a matchlock, ca. 1700-20 - all at the Royal Army Museum Stockholm.
Please not the significant evolution of the butt stocks. Michael |
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#8 |
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Michael-
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is a thread after my own heart. These days, I am completely obsessed with anything maritime/pirate/privateer, so it was a very refreshing moment to see this thread. I can't believe all of the pics you have so generously posted here for us! I have seen far less pics on most web sites and in my books! What an incredible wreck and salvage this was. Can't wait to someday see it in person. Especially the stern, with all its carved figures. The one pic showing the colored panel and how it must have looked like is a real eye-opener. So bright and (dare I say it) gaudy. You get used to seeing the drab colors of figure-heads and ocean salvage many centuries later and assume that the wood was left unpainted, but here we see the truth. It was like when they recently restored the Sistine Chapel's ceiling and everyone gasped at the real colors (bright and gaudy, again! ![]() ![]() |
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#9 | |
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Location: PR, USA
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Thanks Michael,
Your posts are invariably worth reading! Best Manuel Quote:
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#10 |
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Location: Bay Area
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Michael, just wanted to say that I appreciate all the effort you put into the threads you start here. The information is outstanding and always makes a good read, even for people with somewhat different main interests, such as me.
Thank you! Teodor |
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#11 |
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Thank you, Mark, Manuel and Teodor, for appreciating what I am trying to do.
Actually it took quite some time to rework the mostly pitch black images in order to make the items visible at all. Thank you again, folks. ![]() Michael |
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#12 |
Arms Historian
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
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I would like to join in to thank Michael, not only for the constantly magnificent threads in which he has shared so many amazing historical weapons, but for this fascinating thread on the Vasa.
I have heard of this ship so many times, and always wondered what it would be like to see this wondrously preserved moment in time.....and now, with these images and thanks to Michael, I have seen it ! Though he notes the pictures are poor due to dim light, the effect to my eyes is quite contrary, and only adds to the incredible ambience of the almost ghostly appearance of the ship. While the weapons are as noted, displayed 'in the style of' that shows the type of weapons used at the time, it is great to have the inside information that Michael has added. For visitors not focused on the study of weapons, such display is acceptable in degree as these add to the overall effect, but it is good to have the annotation for our purposes of detailed study. The museum has overall done a monumental job of displaying this wonderful historical ship, and though I hope I might someday see it, the odds are that I wont, so thank you Michael, again! We are so incredibly lucky to have a personal tour guide like you ![]() With all very best regards, Jim |
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#13 |
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Hi Jim,
Thank you so much, too, for your kind words of praise - they actually made me blush. ![]() ![]() Here are some interesting links, as well as better images found on the web: http://www.vasamuseet.se/sitecore/co...asaMuseum.aspx http://www.vasamuseet.se/sitecore/co...erve_Vasa.aspx http://www.vasamuseet.se/sitecore/co...asa_model.aspx http://www.vasamuseet.se/sitecore/co...ions/face.aspx http://www.vasamuseet.se/sitecore/co...salvaging.aspx Enjoy, and thank you all, Michael Last edited by Matchlock; 9th March 2009 at 06:37 PM. |
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#14 |
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More.
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#15 |
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#16 |
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Enjoy.
m |
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#17 |
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The rest.
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