The 30th of May 2005 the Gotheborg III which started out as a dream thirteen years earlier is almost ready to depart on its first voyage, which will be to Norway. Photo: Jan-Erik Nilsson.
Following in the footsteps of the excavation, a long series of exhibitions was set up in Sweden and in Asia. Seven tons of Chinese porcelain shards had been brought up and studied plus some 260-year-old tea, tasting mostly - to be honest - mud. The scientific results had been presented in articles, in books, in seminars and in thousands of public lectures. In 1991 exhibitions with the finds were held in Hong Kong and in 1992, in Singapore and Shanghai. Millions of people around the globe, not the least in China, had become fascinated by the findings and by the historical facts about the Swedish-Chinese East India trade that had all come to life again.
In 1992 the excavation project were to have an exciting continuation in another mind boggling adventure in the "Gotheborg III Project" when the excavation leader Anders Wästfelt presented his plan of building a replica of the first East Indiaman Gothenburg to the Friends of the East Indiaman Gotheborg Organization, originally set up to support the excavation.
The 'Friends' with Erik Wettergren as a Chairman and Berit Wästfelt as secretary were not too difficult to convince and they all set out to find funds to finance a feasibility plan and to find the key specialists that would volunteer to make up the Project Management Committee.
The project met with enthusiastic support by the local small industry while the major Swedish export industry with few exceptions remained cautious.
From the very beginning the ambitions were to use this unique project for many different ends within industry, trade and culture. The practical goal were to build, equip and send this ship with a well-trained crew around the Cape of Good Hope and back to symbolically reopen the old trade route to China. We estimated that the trip would take about 18 months and we were also to make sure she would not strike on a rock again, on homecoming. By building the ship we would also keep alive the almost extinct handicrafts of sail making, ship's timber handling and offer a possibility to keep alive the knowledge in how to actually sail a tall ship.
It was decided that the ship would have a hull of wood, about 75% oak and 25% pine. In order to provide enough strength, the frame-timbers would be made from laminated pine. The keel, stem, stern, beams, planks, trimmings and other framework details would be made from oak. The decks would be of pine. The sails and the standing and running rigging should be made with traditional materials, mainly hemp.
The hull would be constructed with as much historical accuracy as possible outboard as well as inboard above the free board deck. The hull would be divided into six waterproof sections for safety and in order to limit any possible damage.
Beneath the free board deck, no consideration of historical tradition would need to be taken, but the design and materials used would still be in keeping. The deck machinery would be as historically correct as possible. The ship was to be ballasted to obtain the historically correct waterline and carry 80 persons in crew, officers and trainees, and 12 passengers.
In 1993 the interest from the public to financially support the East Indiaman project is overwhelming and the Friends are able to donate close to 200,000 SEK to get the project started. The donations included the funds necessary to register the Swedish East India Company, SOIC AB, which were to build and equip the ship. In November the Project Management Committee sets up the East Indiaman Gotheborg III Foundation to collect the funds necessary for the project and hand over the entire stock capital of the SOIC AB to the Foundation.
In February 1994 around 130 different companies had signed up for some kind of sponsorship. All who could see a current or a future value in the project were asked to support it - short term or long term. By this, the project grew together with the Sponsor's interests and undertakings. For five years to come, this method got the shipyard built and the project fully started.
The new shipyard of 'Terra Nova' was built on the formera location of the Eriksberg launch bed #6 and grew over a period of thirteen years to a semi permanent establishment. Photo: Jan-Erik Nilsson, May 29th 2005.
In 1994 the members of the Friends Organization together with hundreds of voluntary workers and supporting companies started the building of the new shipyard Terra Nova at Eriksberg. Later same year, the Chairman of the Chinese People's Congress, Mr. Li Ruihan inaugurates the Terra Nova shipyard area.
June 11, 1995 the official laying of the keel takes place in front of 3.000 spectators. The ceremony is performed by Sören Gyll, Volvo AB, Professor of History Jörgen Weibull and Alf Österström, Priest of the local congregation. Two coins are placed in each of the two joints of the 33 meter long oak keel.
In 1996 the main shipyard hall is built over and around the keel and the project is well under way. The ships ribs are made and are erected one by one. Of a budgeted grand total of SEK 100 millions, some SEK 15 millions had been found and spent at making preparations, drawings, plans and building a small but adequate shipyard. Of this the 'Friends' Organization has donated over 1 million SEK to the project. The former shipyard manager, Erkki Person was appointed CEO (Chief Executive Officer), bringing with him knowledge of the shipping industry. The project is firmly established as a part of Swedish-Chinese trade relations and Chinese official delegations begun to visit the shipyard more and more often during their visits to Sweden. Among many visitors, the Vice premier of China, Zou Jiahua and the Major of Shanghai, Xu Kuangdi visits the Shipyard. The Gotheborg East Indiaman Project was well under way to become the wide project is was intended to become.
In 1997 the Chinese Garden next to the Shipyards area is inaugurated. The ship building progresses according to plan and in September 1998 all ribs are in place. The Friends Organization, the Project Management Committee and a huge numbers of volunteers, brilliant ships builders and carpenters can proudly show they had accomplished something almost impossible. From now on the project takes on a more formal organization and focuses on building the actual ship. Most of the original initiators find that their help are not asked for any more in the new organization.
On the 1st of January 1999, Jörgen Gabrielson is appointed Managing Director of the SOIC AB.
May 7th, 2002. The two TAMD 165 A 386KW (525HK) Volvo engines promised to the project in 1995, was delivered
November 2002, two propellers especially made for the ship, arrives.
June 6, 2003 The new East Indiaman Götheborg is launched.
June 13, 2003, the first mast - the 23 meter long foremast - was fitted.
September 3, 2004. Her Majesty the Queen Silvia performs the naming ceremony of the Swedish East Indiaman Götheborg.
February 2005, Volvo enters the project as an official partner.
April 18, 2005, the first trial voyage ever with the new built ship takes place.
From the very beginning the ambition were to use this unique project for many different ends. The person who first of all designed the wider concept of the project purpose was Bo Alfredsson, a one-man 'think tank', manager and artist at this time engaged to find tenants to a large office structure on the former Eriksberg shipyard area, in dire need of development. With his plan of making the shipyard and the East Indiaman Gotheborg III to the focal point of first the formed shipyard area of Eriksberg, then the city and later on for all of Sweden, and let all kinds of businesses and organizations benefit from the enthusiasm and wild ideas of the project, the East Indiaman Gotheborg project had a purpose and the only thing we needed to do was to get started, find the funding, build the ship and set sail. Well, even we realized that this would take some doing but we know what to do and more important, we knew why.
Our firm goal was to have every one flag of the major Swedish export industries of Sweden along the quayside when the ship was launched. In the mean time we would find places where everyone who wanted to help would find place and purpose to do so. In the actual building of the ship we would also save the almost extinct handicrafts of sail making, timber handling, astronomical navigation up and beyond the expertise in the how to actually sail a tall ship. To build an 18th century ship would in the near future necessitates a great deal of research and the results should be processed, utilized and tweaked into something possibly for the classification organization to approve we would actually be allowed to sail.
A number of key competences were by and by added to the project of which Bert Johnsson, the specialist blacksmith who located and ran his iron smith workshop directly on the shipyard area and without whose production of thousands of iron details not available in any other way than hand welding the project had been impossible.
Erik Wettergren was the first of the Gothenburg profiles who dared to volunteer as the first CEO of the newly established Swedish East India Company AB. I would say that it was his firm personal conviction combined with his solid reputation as a serious and competent Gothenburg businessman was what made the project initially feasible at all in the eyes of many of its early supporters.
In early 1995 Bo Alfredsson chose to add his personal guidance as the second CEO of the new company, and in finding larger sponsors for the project lead it through its early period of financial difficulties. In 1996 the former shipyard manager Erkki Persson took over the leadership of the ship building part of the project and added critical knowledge in how to have the ship approved for sailing. From this point on the focus of the project were changed. Leadership as well as management were turned more into the hands of traditional industry. The manager in charge of this development was the former head of the Eriksberg Shipyard AB, Bengt Tengroth, who also were of critical importance when he approved Anders Wästfelt's wish to borrow the land for his East Indiaman project, and also by lending an ear to the complex visions on how the project could be utilized in a wider perspective, and finally in his help in finding much of the funds actually used to realize the project in the way it finally came to be.
For much of the attention the project early on got in Asia the great personal interest and help put in by Bengt Johansson, then at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later, Swedish Counsul General in Shanghai, and Anita Johnson, Swedish Trade Council, must be remembered. The enthusiasm and assistance given by the former Professor of History, Jörgen Weibull and Professor Bo Gyllensvärd, regarding the Swedish interest of Chinese culture throughout the history as well as regarding the Chinese porcelain cargo of the original Gotheborg, was extremely important.
Among all this one special thought would need to go to the local newspaper GP whose unending support from the excavation phase and onwards by giving the project a public voice was critically important, and to Volvo AB to whom I personally wrote the first letter of information by the end of 1993 and still in my archive, starting with "Dear Sir, I have the pleasure of informing you of the upcoming project of building a full scale sailing replica of the East Indiaman Gotheborg which foundered and sank just outside the harbour of Gothenburg the 12th of September 1745… ". Our optimism was rewarded by an unending support that soon granted us the use of two Volvo cars for necessary transportations and the promise that they would supply the engines for the ship, once it was built.
The members of the Project Management Committee who made the original and most important contributions to the project, were of course Joakim Severinsson (Ship's reconstruction drawing), Erik Lincoln (Ships Engineering, fittings and design), Gunnar Angert (Shipyard design), Olof Pipping (Historic Rigging Design), Göran Svenningson (Ship's Interior Design), Lena von Sydow (Economy), Erik Wettergren (Chairman of the 'Friends of the Gotheborg' Organization), Anders Wästfelt (Marketing, Project Initiator) and Berit Wästfelt (Personnel administration, education and Project Initiator) and Jan-Erik Nilsson (Historic research, Branding and Conceptualization).
Many famous individuals and names of the city of Gothenburg lent their names to the different boards of the project. The then current Province Governor, Kjell A. Mattsson, took the Chairmanship in the foundation we had established to own the ship.
The Chairman of the SOIC AB was Bengt Tengroth, who early realized the value of the project and lent out a large piece of the old Erikbergs shipyard area to the project to build the ship.
Still as always nothing would have happened without the help of hundreds of volunteers were they divers, amateur archaeologists, archive researchers, tidying up the shipyard area, made sandwiches or maybe just gave us a smile when all were tired. The gratitude that should be granted to all and everybody involved in this visionary and exciting project is immense. I have here only been able to mention a fraction of those I personally know have contributed their support. It is my hope that in time all and everybody's efforts will be properly recognized.
In teh Rib workshop the ribs to teh Gotheborg III was made. Originally naturally grown oaks would havbe been used for the different parts of the ship's hull but for the reconstruct ship bent and glued wood would be used. The ribs were made in separate left and right halves that was bolted together with two keel sections.
The Sailmakers Loft was located on a second floor, on top of the rib workshop. Well in advance and long before there were even a trace of a mast to put a sail on, a rigging group were organized and working with sail stiching research, education and training.
The Master Blacksmith Berth Johansson established for the project an educational blacksmith training shop where 50-60 tons of iron over the years were to be transformed into nails, bolts and all kinds of special fittings for the ship.
The Ship's interior was designed by the Ship's Interior Designer Roland Rydén. He started in the project in 1994 and had worked with Ships Initerior design during his entire life.
The Office and Lecture Hall was build by combining five plus three house modules first rented out by Skanska but eventually donated to the projecy. Five of the sections was combined to one large room with a raised scene on one end and with seats for 100 persons. This was the working area which properly staged Anders' knew would pay for the whole project. After the community takeover the historical exhibition was removed and the hall used for housing tourists groups.
The 'Café Nova' was run by Eva Carlsson and planned to become a part of the Shipyard attractions and was integrated with the Shipyard to the immediate right of the main entrance opposite the reception and overlooking the 'Chinese Garden'.
In 1996 the Chinese Garden next to the Shipyard area is inaugurated.
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