Warship

Researchers have identified a shipwreck off Porkkala in the Gulf of Finland as the warship Falken. The 17th-century ship was built for King Gustav II Adolf and was later used under Queen Kristina. It played a central role in the Swedish navy – both in combat and for transporting high-ranking people.The ship was a so-called ‘pinnace’ and looked a lot like a small version of the warship Vasa. It had three masts, conspicuous sculpted decoration, a long galleon in the bow, and cannon ports along the sides. However, the Falken (Falcon in English) was smaller than Vasa, about 35 meters (115 feet) long from bow to stern and equipped with between 16 and 20 guns depending on the mission. Falken