Purpose of Vasa galleries

[Stevinne]

I attended a really nice virtual talk this afternoon with Fred Hocker from the Vasa museum. I didn't ask this question, but it's one that I've been wondering about. Hocker gave his email address and said he'd answer questions sent to him, but before I bug the guy I wanted to see if folks here could help. Can anyone explain the purpose of the galleries and circular turrets on Vasa? To me, they appear merely decorative, since they seem to be mostly enclosed with only a few feet of open space running along the the lower section. I thought maybe they were there to provide light to the great cabins, but now I'm not sure that's the case, since I checked out a video about the admiral's cabin and it seems there aren't a heck of a lot of windows in the place. I also thought maybe they were heads, but they seem to small to serve that purpose. Any insight is appreciated.

[Roger Pellett]

I don’t know about Vasa or her turrets in particular but in the Seventeenth Century, quarter galleries housed officers’ toilets (heads).

 

Roger