The Viking Ships
| If it wasn't for their ships, the Vikings would not have able to carry out their raiding and plundering. They wouldn't probably be remembered as the warriors we know them to be today. Instead, they would probably have been peaceful settlers and farmers in their respective lands. They wouldn't have had the power, or the means to go out to sea and conquer the lands they found. |  |
Although the Vikings are known for their long warships, those were not all that they had. They also built ocean going crafts, to transport both men and goods to other places. And no matter how their many ships differ, there is only one thing common among all of them. They are all built in a beautiful symmetry, enough to entice people of all time.
Of all the Viking ships created, it is the Drakkar that carries the flag. It is considered as the symbol of the Viking's strength and dominance of the sea. The Drakkar is commonly known as the Viking long ship. To their enemies, it was the Viking dragon ship. The Drakkar is the warship that the Vikings used in their raids and attacks. It had the ability to carry a number of Viking warriors all across Europe for several years.
The Viking long ship has an average length of 28 meters. But the longest one ever excavated and recorded has an astounding length 70 meters. This one required about 60 oarsmen to move and it could carry as many as 400 warriors across the sea and onto the battlefield.
The Viking kings, earls and noblemen mostly owned these long ships, because they were the only ones who had the ways and means to build them at that time. During the later part of Viking supremacy, it was discovered that there were are approximately 300 long ships present in the mighty Viking fleet.
These Viking ships are not known to have lost any sea battles at all. They were the best sailing war vessel in all of Europe, during their reign. The construction of the Viking warship itself made it possible to navigate in shallow waters and capable of being tilted on one side so it could pass through shoals and rocks. Most of all, the tapered sterns and bows made it easier to row the ship forward or backward, without the need to turn around. All these features contributed a lot to the Viking's success in their raids.
Original Authors: Jennifer Tumanda
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 16/01/2007
