DK Eyewitness Books - Viking

8

Lords of the sea

TȩȦȷȪȬȪȯȨȴȸȦȳȦȴȶȱȦȳȣ sailors.

Their wooden longships carried them

across wild seas, riding the waves,

dodging rocks and icebergs, and

surviving storms. In open seas, the

Vikings relied on a big, rectangular

sail. To maneuver in coastal waters

and rivers, they dropped the mast

and rowed the ship instead.

Whenever possible, they sailed

within sight of land. Far from the

coast, Vikings navigated by the

Sun and stars. Their knowledge

of seabirds, fish, winds, and wave

patterns helped them find their

way. Wood rots quickly, so there

is little left of most longships.

But, fortunately, a few have

survived, thanks to the Viking

custom of burying rich people

in ships (pp. 54–57). The best

preserved are the Oseberg

and Gokstad ships from

Norway. Both are slender,

elegant vessels, light but

surprisingly strong.

Stem-post,

or prow

Ship is made of

light oak wood

wit h a heavier

mast of pine

DIGGING OUT THE SHIP

The Norwegian ships were preserved by unusual wet conditions.

The Gokstad ship sat in a large mound with a burial chamber on

its deck. The skeleton of a man lay in the chamber, surrounded

by his worldly possessions. He had been buried in around 900.

SAILING TO THE WINDY CITY

The Gokstad ship had 32 shields on each side, alternately

painted yellow and black. A full-size replica was sailed across

the Atlantic Ocean to Chicago in 1893.

It proved how seaworthy the real

ship must have been.

Gunwale

(top strake)

LEARNING THE ROPES

Coins and picture stones

give clues about how

Viking ships were rigged

(roped) and sailed. This

coin, minted in Hedeby,

Germany, shows a ship wit h

a furled (rolled-up) sail.

Sixteen strakes on each side,

each one overlapping

t he strake below

RAISING THE

GOKSTAD MAST

The heavy mast was lowered into a

groove in the keelson and held in place

by the mast fish. The deck boards were

loose, so the sailors could store their

belongings under them.

Keelson, which runs

Keel above t he keel

Mast fish, to lock

t he mast in place

Deck boards

Mast

Sixteen

oarports (holes for

oars) on each side

GOKSTAD SHIP, FRONT VIEW

One of the grandest Viking ships

was found at Gokstad, beside Oslo Fjord

in Norway. It was excavated in 1880. The

elegant lines of the prow and strakes (planks)

show the skill of the shipbuilders. The ship is

76 ft (23.2 m) long and 17 ft (5.2 m) wide.

The keel is a single piece of oak, cut from

a tree at least 82 ft (25 m) tall!

Keel

Strakes