'Gotheborg' engineer basks in limelight
Feb 3, 2007 - 8:59:00 AM
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'We did not realise how big this project was until we reached China. Each one of us writes a diary every day and what we write is sent back home. Some day we hope there will be a book,' he said.
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By Papri Sri Raman, Indo-Asian News service,
[RxPG] Chennai, Feb 3 - Bengt Goran Nilsson, chief engineer of a replica of 18th century Swedish ship Gotheborg that sailed here, says they got a hero's welcome in both China and India.
'In China we were treated like movie stars ... As if we were great heroes. In India, the ship was welcomed with fireworks, gun salute, photo sessions and hundreds of curious visitors,' Nilsson told IANS in an interview.
'It is nice that you recognise what we have done.'
The original Gotheborg had made three trips to Asia in the 18th century. Laden with 700 tonnes of spices and silk from India and China, it sank off Sweden's coast in 1745. It was believed to have touched India's Surat port.
The wooden replica, currently anchored at the port of Chennai for 10 days, set sail from Gothenberg to Shanghai and then to Singapore. It started from the city-state Jan 14, making seven knots an hour towards Chennai to participate in the Indian port's 125th year celebrations.
Five Swedish companies and one Indian firm have financed its stop here.
'This is a registered merchant vessel and has to comply with all facilities of a modern ship. At the same time, we had to do it exactly as it was 250 years ago. That was a challenge,' said Nilsson.
'In the 1750s they did not have drawings. We went to old paintings and museums. The rigging was very difficult. We did not have the knowledge and had to learn. I am an engineer and getting the technical things absolutely correct was important for me,' remarked Nillson.
'Our marine museums send down contract divers to pick up relics from the sea. That's how a piece of the original Gotheborg was found. Then some people decided to recreate the ship. We have the piece of the original ship embedded in this vessel,' the engineer explained.
'People said such a ship could not be re-made and could not be sailed. The most exciting moment was in June 2005, 10 years after the exercise began, when we did the test run from Gotheborg port to Oslo.
'On our first trip to Stockholm, we had the King and Queen on board and 200,000 people gathered at the harbour waving and cheering us. It was an unforgettable sight,' Nillson reminisced.
Nilsson has been sailing with Gotheborg since 2005. The replica is said to be the mascot of Swedish business.
'We did not realise how big this project was until we reached China. Each one of us writes a diary every day and what we write is sent back home. Some day we hope there will be a book,' he said.
'This voyage will end in June. I will feel a little sad. But I am a professional sailor and until a sailor is back home, he cannot say how the journey has been. For a sailor, homecoming matters most.'
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