In August 1628, King Gustavus Adolphus aimed to showcase Sweden's naval dominance with the Vasa, a massive, heavily armed warship fitted with 64 bronze cannons. Less than twenty minutes into its maiden voyage, a slight gust of wind tilted the ship, allowing water to rush into the open gun ports. Within minutes, the flagship of the Swedish navy sank to the bottom of Stockholm harbor, having traveled only 1,300 meters.
For centuries, historians blamed poor ballast calculation or excessive heavy artillery. However, modern archaeological excavations of the ship's wreckage revealed a bizarre construction failure: asymmetric measuring rulers. Archeologists recovered four rulers used by the shipbuilders.
Two were calibrated in Swedish feet (divided into 12 inches), while the other two were calibrated in Amsterdam feet (divided into 11 inches). Because the master shipbuilder died during construction, different work crews worked on opposing sides of the hull using different measuring systems. This resulted in an asymmetrical hull structure—thicker and heavier on one side than the other.
Combined with a narrow beam and a high center of gravity forced by the King's demand for a second gun deck, the uneven weight distribution made the ship hopelessly unstable. The Vasa was doomed before it ever left the dock, victimized by conflicting measurement standards.