For more than three centuries, a nearly intact shipwreck lay preserved in time on the seafloor of Stockholm harbor. When she was pulled from the ocean one spring morning in 1961, news of her recovery broke around the world. This wasn’t just any shipwreck, though. The 220-foot former flagship, the Vasa, built for King Gustav II Adolf between 1626 and 1628, had been a symbol of Swedish pride, showcasing extravagance and firepower in excess—which ultimately led to her demise. Not only is the Vasa the world’s best-preserved ship dating from the early 1600s, in her time, she was also a symbolic display of power, strength, and craftsmanship, perhaps the 17th century equivalent to Air Force One. Befitting the volatile period, the Vasa was the most heavily armed warship in the Baltic, with her 64 cannons, large crew, and hand-to-hand combat implements. With her stately importance and unmatched armament, the flagship …