Hello, Vasa.

This little voyage is for a family getting ready to meet an extraordinary ship. Look closely, ask strange questions, and save some curiosity for the real thing.

The 3D ship is an interpretive reconstruction, made in code. Its hull, carving shapes, fittings, rigging and colours are simplified; it is not a museum scan or a measured archaeological model. The first view follows the museum’s lower-mast rig. “Show the sailing rig of 1628” adds the reconstructed upper masts and yards. The bronze cannons have their own switch; turn them off to see the empty museum gunports.

The stern, galleries and carvings are three-dimensional forms guided by museum photographs, with the same wood materials and lighting as the hull. The colour switch evokes Vasa’s researched decoration. The sail control sets the fore course, fore topsail, main topsail and triangular mizzen; the remaining six stay gathered. Estimated sculpture shapes and rig dimensions remain an interpretation. The AR mark opens a 60 cm tabletop version with the museum’s lower masts and bronze cannons.

Stories are based on the Vasa Museum’s research. Photographs are shared under the museum’s individual CC BY notices, with credits beneath each image. The oak texture is adapted from the museum’s CC BY 4.0 upper gun deck scan. Films open on the museum’s website and are in Swedish. This is an independent family project, with no museum endorsement implied.

Tip: drag with one finger to orbit; use two fingers to move and pinch to zoom. With a keyboard, focus the ship and use the arrow keys, + / − and Home. Your discoveries are saved only in this browser.