The Vasa was in cold, brackish water. Low salinity is good for preservation. Sinking somewhere difficult to reach is important, to prevent salvage. The Vasa h

The Vasa was in cold, brackish water. Low salinity is good for preservation. Sinking somewhere difficult to reach is important, to prevent salvage. The Vasa had her cannon brought up to the surface but was otherwise left alone. I went to the museum on a whim last year and was pleasantly surprised. It's not just the hull of the ship, everything onboard was preserved. Really cool engineering project lesson, too. The Vasa had a critical engineering flaw (way too top heavy) that came about due to pressure from the king. As a result, she sank as soon as she was launched on her maiden voyage!