Comparing Hansson's 'The Fate Of The Vasa'

Case Name:

The Fate of the Vasa

CASE PREPARATION: Identify the main characters and key facts, dates and numbers.
Main Characters Captain Sofring Hansson. Henrik Hybersson – Shipwright. King Gustavus II Adolphu.s Admiral Klas Fleming – Kings Representative. Hein Jacobsson appointed person in charge by Fleming after Hybersson death. Joran Mattson – Boatswain (Witness to stability Test) Erik Jonsson Kremer – Commander of the Ordanance. Key Facts Swedish Admiralty signed a shipbuilding contract for four new ships. Previous contracts saw the successful build of 4 Ships with a proven keel length, (108’). Sept 1625 – fierce storm hit Swedish Fleet, The King changed the order for delivery of ships in order to replace the loss. Nov 1625 - The
An inquiry was carried out, and the first accusation was to Captain Hansson about securing the guns which he denied and was proved right some years later. Stability was questioned in particular if she had enough ballast to support he weight, because this was a specific design by the King no-one knew exactly how much was needed. The ship had as much ballast as she could hold, and this was more than Fleming had wanted. Mattson had informed the inquiry about the stability test, but neither Captain nor Fleming mentioned it. The prosecutor pointed out the amount of ballast should have been loaded by another foot, but Kremer said that it couldn’t have been ballast any more as the gun ports were too close to sea level as it was. Kremer also said that it was inevitable she would sink as she was heavier over than under. Mattson backed this up stating that Fleming was already upset by the amount of ballast. Jacobson has said that he had built the ship as per Hybertsson specifications which had been given by the King. Inquiry ended – No conclusive result, No-one found guilty, no-one punished, no-one knew who was to blame. Key Dates 1625  January – Swedish Admiraly Signed contract with Hybertsson  Septemebr – Storm wiped out 10 ships from Swedish fleet  October – King ordered 2 smaller ships be done first to replace loss and changed the length of Keel 1626  February - King ordered Hybertsson to build an even longer ship as
What are the organization’s goals, objectives and constraints? Although Hybertsson was a successful Ship builder for ships with a standard heel, he had no experience of larger ships. The standard ships were built on reckonings and school of thought. No calculations were done to determine center of gravity, displacement volume. Everything with regard to standard design was kept inside Hyberssons head. The main objectives of Hybersson were to build standard ships that he knew well and hadn’t had an issue with. Step 2: Problem/Decision Statement Identify the main problem. What is the root cause? Main problems were: The King was making demands of the Shipbuilder who didn’t know how to build larger ships and could not say no. No calculations / designs were documented so when Jacobsson took over he was doing what he thought was best and what Hybersson had suggested. The ship being built as per the Kings request was top heavy, too narrow and had insufficient ballast. Step 3: Identification of Alternatives Identify the strategic options that appear to be solutions to the problem or decision. Project Management, Clear planning and engineering design work needs to be documented. Accurate testing needs to be formally laid out and reported. Possibly witnessed by a certification governing body. Have confirmed designs that could incorporate set keel lengths and hull widths,