The Viking Longship

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the Vikings was the Viking longship, which was both a means of transportation and a mode of conquest. These ships contained multiple innovations that allowed the Vikings to rule the seas and travel from Scandinavia to as far as North America in the west and Russia in the east.

Viking Longship Construction

Longships were clinker-built: overlapping oak planks fastened to each other with iron rivets, then fixed to the ribs, in some ships lashed with spruce root or whale baleen. The seams were caulked with tarred wool or animal hair. The result was a hull light and flexible enough to ride over the waves rather than plow through them. Sizes varied enormously, from about 50 feet to more than 100 feet; the longest found, Roskilde 6, measured about 120 feet.

Longship Mobility

Crews ranged from about two dozen rowers to more than 60 on the biggest warships. There were no fixed benches in many ships, and rowers may have sat on their sea chests, though historians still debate it. A deep keel ran the length of the hull, giving stability under sail and helping the ship hold a course.

The big leap was the sail. Scandinavians adopted the square sail around the 700s, and it turned rowing boats into ocean-crossers. With a tacking spar (the beitiáss), crews could even work partway into the wind. The mast could be lowered when the ship was rowed or beached.

Directional Advantage

Our word ‘starboard’ comes from the Norse steering oar. It was mounted near the stern on the right-hand side, so that side became the ‘steer-board’ (Old Norse stjórnborði). Levering the big oar let the helmsman turn the ship.

Longships were double-ended, pointed at both bow and stern, which made them nimble in tight waters and easy to back off a beach in a hurry.

Viking longships had one more advantage. They were light. Longships had a shallow draft, which allowed Vikings to use them on rivers and attack villages that would not expect them to appear. Vikings could also carry their ships across land to keep them safe or to reach new bodies of water.

Water Is Essential

Vikings thrived in places where water was plentiful: seashores, fjords, lakes, and rivers were all parts of those places. They learned to navigate these areas, which let them become the dominant explorers and seafarers that we know today.

We hope to put a longship on Alaskan water someday, so that visitors can pull an oar and feel the hull flex under them. Help bring that day closer with a gift to our Land Fund.