Readers think I am highly critical of Western military foibles and bad decisions (I am) but history is replete with mismanagement and poor planning planet-wide in military technology.
Like the Indian nuclear submarine disaster from leaving a hatch open on the INS Arihan in 2018 or the German Type VIIC U-boat (U-1206) sinking due to a high pressure toilet, history is replete with poor technology implementation.
The new Swedish warship, Vasa, launches in 1628 and sinks in twenty minutes.
Looks expensive…
“The warship survived the first blast of wind it encountered on its maiden voyage in Stockholm Harbor,” writes Lucas Laursen for Archaeology. “But the second gust did it in. The sinking of Vasa took place nowhere near an enemy. In fact, it sank in full view of a horrified public, assembled to see off their navy’s–and Europe’s–most ambitious warship to date.” Engineering problems sank the ship–but this PR disaster for the Swedish navy has become a boon for archaeologists. Here’s how it happened and how Vasa’s influence is felt today.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bizarre-story-vasa-ship-keeps-giving-180964328/
Email me at cgpodcast@pm.me.
