Installation of the new steel support structure that will save the exceptionally-preserved 17th century Swedish royal warship Vasa from sagging under its own weight has begun. Experts have begun putting in place a complex metal structure to support the hull, which more than 60 years after its salvage has begun to sag in the Stockholm museum custom-built for it. “Today we put in a part of the new support structure, one cradle, and it’s needed because the ship needs better support, because the old one from 1961 doesn’t cut it anymore,” said project leader Peter Rydebyork, showing off the new structure around the 17th century warship. The Vasa Museum has engaged the Swedish steel company Alleima to develop a custom-made internal support skeleton to support the weight of the ship and stabilize it to ensure its long-term survival. The company specializes in stainless steel alloys of exceptionally high strength and high resistance to corrosion. Pound for pound, it is much stronger than other steel materials, so the internal supports will be lighter weight and put less pressure on the fragile wood. Alleima’s steel has another priceless advantage for the Vasa project: it is so strong and light that the conservators will have to drill far fewer holes in the hull of the ship in order to install the skeleton. Experts estimate they will need to make less than half the number of holes than in their original construction drawings. The new internal support structure will take the form of a truss with bracing that will run vertically from the keel to the upper deck. The light, hollow tubes will carry the weight of the deck planking and beams, counteracting the relentless pressure of gravity that is making the ship sink downwards and outwards. The skeleton will connect to and rest on new external support cradles, 27 of them with a joint under the keel, as opposed to the current 17 external supports. Stabilizing the whole ship by adding new external support cradles is the first phase installation. The internal skeleton will be installed next. Lastly, the ship will be righted. Installation of the new support system is expected to be completed in 2028, 400 years after King Gustav II Adolf’s great flagship sank in Stockholm bay 15 minutes into its maiden voyage.