This fragment of a carpenter’s rule, marked in inches, was found behind a hull plank removed in 2010. It was broken and lost while Vasa was being built in 1626-1627.
The markings correspond best to the rules used by the Swedish half of the workforce at the Stockholm Navy Yard. They used a foot divided into 12 inches, while Dutch carpenters used an 11-inch foot. Both types of rule are found on Vasa, but no two are the same length!
