Kalmar Nyckel
The Kalmar Nyckel (also Calmare Nyckel ) was an armed merchant ship built in Holland in 1625, which brought mainly Swedish settlers to the " New World ". It was commissioned by the Swedish city of Kalmar ( historical province of Småland ) and constructed as a large three-masted pinasse .
The first of four consecutive trips to North America began in December 1637 from Gothenburg . The ship got caught in a heavy storm in the North Sea , so that first of all Holland had to be called for repairs. On New Year 1638 could run out again, reaching under her Captain January Hindriksen van der Water in March 1638 neuzugründende colony New Sweden , which under the direction of Peter Minuit should be. Today the area is called Wilmington and is located in Delaware on the Delaware (USA), where the replica of the ship was then placed.
She took part in the Swedish-Danish War in 1657. There are two different accounts of her demise towards the end of the 17th century; it either sank off the Swedish coast near Kalmar or in the North Sea off England.
The 1997 replica has a length of 28.3 meters, a width of 7.62 m and a draft of 4 m. The ship runs a maximum of 12.4 knots .