Chennai had an unusual visitor on Wednesday, when the world’s largest wooden replica of the East Indiaman Gotheborg berthed at the 125-year-old Dr Ambedkar dock. The 58.5 metre long vessel, with a sail area of 1,964 square metres, will play host to sightseers for 11 days. On September 12, 1745, the Gotheborg sank after it hit some underwater rocks near the entrance of the harbour of Gothenburg city on its return from her third voyage to Asia, carrying hundreds of tonnes of silk, tea and porcelain cargo. While all the sailors survived, the ship was lost. The wreckage and tonnes of porcelain shards were retrieved from the sea bottom later. A replica of the vessel was proposed to be made in 1985.It took around 10 years to build the ‘full-scale replica’ of the historic vessel, using the same building methods, handicraft technique and materials from the 18th century. However, the new vessel, which left Sweden on October 2, 2005, retracing its historical route to China, and passing India and the Mediterranean during its homebound voyage, uses electricity and propellers powered by diesel engines. “You travel faster with sails than engines. With engines, the ship touches nine knots but the wind carries a sail ship faster, helping it touch sometimes even 11.5 knots. But in stormy situations, the sails, including the five main ones, all weighing 500 tonnes, are closed up and tied to the mast,” Vessel Captain Peter Kaaling told reporters during a briefing on the ship. The vessel is managed by the SOIC, a non-profit organisation based in Sweden, to enable it to undertake a trade expedition to China and back. “Travelling through different countries, Spain, Brazil, Singapore, India and China, it’s a chance for us to learn more history,” said SOIC president Stellan Mjardner.Launched on June 6, 2003, the ship under the chief patronage of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, visited Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and is now docked at Chennai.
