Kronan (Stora Kronan)

Type

Ship of the Line

Period

17th Century

Nation

Sweden

Overview: Kronan, also known as Stora Kronan, was the flagship of the Swedish Navy in the Baltic during the 1670s and, at completion, one of the largest warships in the world, designed and built by English-born shipwright Francis Sheldon in Stockholm. Specifications: The ship was a three-decked first-rate ship of the line, roughly 53 m (174 ft) long with a 12.9 m (42 ft) beam and 6.2–6.8 m draft, displacing about 2,300 tonnes. She was designed for 126 guns of 6 to 36 pounds but carried closer to 105–114 guns at the time of her loss, with a company of around 500 sailors and up to 300 embarked soldiers; her design was closely related to that of the earlier Vasa. Service History: Laid down in October 1665, Kronan was launched on 31 July 1668 but not commissioned until 1672 after protracted disputes over financing and friction between Sheldon and the Swedish admiralty. On 1 June 1676, during the Battle of Öland in the Scanian War, she capsized while attempting a hard turn under too much sail, her powder magazine detonated, and the explosion tore off much of her bow before she sank within minutes, taking her captain and acting fleet commander Lorentz Creutz down with her. Notable Facts: Of roughly 800–850 men aboard, only about 40 survived, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Swedish history and a major setback for the Swedish war effort. The wreck was rediscovered in 1980 and has since produced tens of thousands of artifacts — cannon, coins, tools, and personal effects — many displayed at the Kalmar County Museum, giving modelers an unusually rich body of primary material to work from despite the lack of any contemporary painted portrait of the ship. Image Note: No contemporary depiction of Kronan is known to survive; the image on file is a 1909 reconstruction painting by Swedish marine artist Jacob Hägg, based on historical research, and is in the public domain.