A hemmema was a type of warship built for the Swedish archipelago fleet and the Russian Baltic Navy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was designed by Swedish naval architect Fredrik Henrik af Chapman in collaboration with Augustin Ehrensvärd, commander of the archipelago fleet. The hemmema was a specialized vessel for use in the shallow waters and narrow passages that surround the thousands of islands and islets extending from the Swedish capital of Stockholm into the Gulf of Finland. It replaced the galley as a coastal warship since it had better crew accommodations, was more seaworthy and heavily outgunned even the largest galleys. It could be propelled by either sails or oars but was still smaller and more maneuverable than most sailing warships, which made it suitable for operations in the confined waters. The 12 hemmemas that were built served on both sides of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–90 and the Finnish War of 1808–09.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemmema

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

476:

Germanic leader Odoacer captured Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire, and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odoacer

1781:

Los Angeles (downtown pictured) was founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula by 44 Spanish settlers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_de_Los_%C3%81ngeles

1843:

Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies married Pedro II of Brazil at a state ceremony. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Cristina_of_the_Two_Sicilies

1912:

The Albanian Revolt of 1912 came to an end when the Ottoman government agreed to meet the rebels' demands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_Revolt_of_1912

1998:

Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in Menlo Park, California, to promote the web search engine that they developed as Stanford University students. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

lineament: 1. Any distinctive shape or line, etc. 2. A distinctive feature that characterizes something, especially the parts of the face of an individual. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lineament

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don't know it, are asleep. They're born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence. You know — all mystics — Catholic, Christian, non-Christian, no matter what their theology, no matter what their religion — are unanimous on one thing: that all is well, all is well. Though everything is a mess, all is well. Strange paradox, to be sure. But, tragically, most people never get to see that all is well because they are asleep. They are having a nightmare.   --Anthony de Mello https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anthony_de_Mello