This photo is of a Swedish replica ship started in 2005, not of a 282-Year-Old East India Company Ship - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that a 282-Year-Old East India Trading Company Ship had returned to London. The post even claims that the ship in the photo returned to London for the first time since 1787. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a 282-Year-Old East India Trading Company Ship returning to London.
Fact: The photo is of a Swedish Ship named Gotheborg III that sailed along the River Thames, London in 2007. It is a replica ship modelled on the original 18 Century Swedish East India Company Ship, named East Indiaman Gotheborg or Gotheborg I. On 12 September 1745, the Gotheborg I sank when she sailed onto a well-known underwater reef, the Hunnebadan. The Gotheborg III started functioning in 2005 and had set sail to China in the very same year. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found in the Stock Photo Website, Shutterstock. The Stock Image was taken by Ray Tang on 19 May 2007. According to the description below the image, the ship is a Swedish Ship named ‘Gotheborg’ sailing down the River Thames in London. ‘The ship (is) a full-scale replica of an 18th Century East India merchantman and is the only ship of its kind in the world.’
Taking a cue that this was a Swedish replica ship, we searched in Google with relevant keywords and found a BBC article published on 19 May 2007. The ship that sailed along the Thames in 2007 was modelled on the original 18 century Swedish East India Company ship, the Gothenburg. The work to recreate this replica began in 2002 and it started sailing in 2005. Another article about the ship visiting London can be seen here. There was an exchange of gun salutes between the replica ‘Gothenburg’ and HMS Belfast in London, videos of which can be seen here and here.
The Swedish East India Company launched the East Indiaman Gotheborg in 1738 named in honour of the city of Gothenburg in Sweden. On 12 September 1745, the ship sank when she sailed onto a well-known underwater reef, the Hunnebadan.
The Replica Ship is called Gotheborg III. It was inspired by the Gotheborg I that sank in 1745, Gotheborg II was built decades later. The Gotheborg III started functioning in 2005 and had set sail to China in the very same year.
To sum it up, this photo is of a Swedish replica ship started in 2005, not of a 282-Year-Old East India Company Ship.