DK Eyewitness Books - Viking

10

A Viking warship

LȪȨȩȵȢȯȥȴȭȦȯȥȦȳ, the Viking warship carried warriors far

across the ocean. It was the longest, sleekest, and quickest Viking

vessel. Like other longships, the warship had a sail and mast, but

could also be rowed. Depending on its size, it needed from 24 to 50

oars. On long voyages, the Viking warriors rowed in shifts. They

could glide their ship up narrow inlets and land on any flat beach.

Even when it was full, the warship had such a shallow keel that it

did not need a jetty or quay and could be unloaded right on the

shore. Some of the ships carried horses as well as warriors.

When beached, both animals and men could wade ashore.

Two well-preserved warships were discovered in the

Roskilde Fjord in Denmark. They had been filled with

stones and deliberately sunk around the year 1000. The

longest one is 92 ft (28 m) from prow to stern, making

it the longest Viking ship ever found.

UNWELCOME GUESTS
A ship full of fierce warriors suddenly
landing on the beach filled people
with fear and horror. This highly
romanticized picture of Viking
raiders appeared in a French
magazine in 1911.

Dragon made of

carved and painted

pine wood

Detachable wooden figurehead

Prow

Mast

Stern

Steering oar

Side view

Top view

A SHIP AND A HALF

Cross beams and ribs helped to strengthen the hull of a

Viking ship. The gaps between the strakes were stuffed

with tarred wool. This is called caulking. It kept the

water out and made the ship more flexible

in rough seas.

Original rope may

have been made of

walrus skin

Mooring post

DANISH DRAGON SHIP

In 1962, five Viking ships were excavated from

Roskilde Fjord in Sjælland, Denmark. They had

been scuttled (sunk deliberately), probably to block a

channel and protect the harbor from enemy ships.

This is a reconstruction of one of the warships.

It was 57 ft (17.4 m) long and only 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m)

across at the widest point. The ship had seven strakes

(planks) on each side, the top three made of ash, the

bottom four of oak. There were 13 oarports (holes) on

each side, so 26 men could row together.

Leat her t hong holds t he

figurehead in place

Hull made

of seven

slender strakes

Each strake overlaps t he

one below, in a technique

called clinker boat-building

WILLIAM’S WARSHIP
The Normans were descended from Vikings who settled in Normandy,
France (p. 16). The Bayeux Tapestry describes their conquest of England
in 1066. In this scene, the proud ship of the Norman leader, William the
Conqueror, sails toward England. A lookout in the stern blows a horn,
while the steersman holds the tiller, attached to the steering oar. The
ship has an animal-head prow, and shields line its sides.

Ribs