Replica of Swedish 18th century trading ship to sail to Asia

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Her cannons firing a powerful salute, a full-size replica of an 18th century merchant ship has sailed into port at the Swedish capital. The nearly 200-foot Götheborg of Sweden is billed the world’s largest operational wooden sailing vessel. Thursday’s sail into Stockholm was a chance for the crew to gain experience before the ship sails for Asia next year. The original ship made three round trips to China before sinking outside her home port in western Sweden in 1745. The discovery of the vessel’s wreckage in 1984 triggered the idea of creating a replica.