History of Ships
Viking Ships
Jean Vaucher (April 2019)
Index

During their heyday (793–1066 AD), Vikings from Scandinavia used superior Longships to explore the rivers and coasts of Europe. These boats, generally characterized as being slender and flexible, were clinker built, with overlapping planks riveted together.

Longships were not just used for raids but also for long-distance trade, exploration and colonization. The Vikings settled in Normandy, England, Ireland, Iceland and Greenland. They also visited Newfoundland, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, occupying parts of Russia, Turkey, Africa and Italy.

Clinker construction was refined over many centuries before it was used by the Vikings. For example, the Nydam boat, dated 500 years before the Vikings, was clinker-built of oak planks. Twenty three meters long, it weighed over three tonnes and was rowed by thirty men. Later, Norse Longships would be much lighter and faster. Sails were introduced around the 7th century.[ Wikipedia ].

Boats assembled from planks were built even earlier. The Danish Hjortspring canoe was dated to about 400-300 BCE. Twenty meters long, its planks were fastened with cord, not nailed; and paddled on inland waters, not rowed across oceans.

Vikings built many different sizes and shapes of boats depending on their intended purpose. Longships, used for raids and exploration, ranged from the small Karvi, with 13 rowing benches to the huge Drakkar carrying up to 100 men and sporting dragon heads carved on the prows.

For cargo, the Knarr was built for long sea voyages and used during the Viking expansion. The hull was wider, deeper and shorter than a longship, and could take more cargo and be operated by smaller crews. They were built with a length of about 16 m (54 ft), a beam of 5 m (15 ft), and a hull capable of carrying up to 24 tons.


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Nydam Boat (~350 CE)
Skuldelev Knarr (1030 CE)
Oseberg Ship, Oslo
Oseberg Ship
115-foot Draken replica

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