Viking ships

The Vikings were experienced shipbuilders who created the most advanced ships of their era. Warships and merchant ships allowed men to visit overseas countries, and settlers and explorers crossed the sea in search of new lands and riches. At home, the Vikings used fishing boats, ferries and kayaks. In Viking times, travel through mountains, dense forests, swamps and deep snow was difficult. Numerous rivers, lakes and other waterways in Scandinavia gave the Vikings an easy and convenient way to travel.

Rooks

The most famous Viking ships were undoubtedly their efficient warships, known as "dragonships". They were long, graceful vessels, fast, reliable, and yet light enough to be rowed or carried by hand if necessary. Such ships were designed to enter shallow rivers and dock on gently sloping banks, which allowed the Vikings to take their enemies by surprise. Usually drakkars were made mainly of ash and were about 18 m long and 2.6 m wide. The largest ship known to us reached 28 m in length and 4.5 m in width. The number of rowers varied from 26 to 70 people. They were lined up on either side of the ship. The ancient masters considered it a special “chic” to build a ship in such a way that, while sailing on oars, it could carry shields on the sides. The oars were not inserted into the oarlocks, but were passed through special holes "rowing hatches". For battle, ships usually converged on oars; if at the same time it was possible to keep shields on board (that is, if the ship was built in such a way that the shields did not block the holes for the oars and did not interfere with rowing), they served as additional protection for the rowers until the very moment of hand-to-hand combat.

merchant ships

The ships used by merchants and settlers were called knorrs by the Vikings. These vessels were wider than the dracars, deeper, and had a lower speed. They accommodated 30 to 40 people. In the middle of the ship there was a large free space where goods were placed.

Navigation

The Vikings were skilled sailors. They could sail for many days far from the coast, without deviating from the intended course, without the help of navigational instruments. They kept their course according to the sun, moon and stars. The Vikings studied the habits of sea animals and birds well, which also helped them. Many sagas tell how navigators determined their exact position in the ocean, taking into account the number of days they spent at sea, the speed of the ship, the tides, the currents and weather conditions.

Mast and sail

The sails were sewn together from several pieces of fabric. The sail had the shape of a rectangle. The height of the mast usually did not exceed 12 meters, and the width was 20. According to archaeologists who studied the exact models of ancient ships, the rigging system on them was such that it made it possible to give the sail an optimal shape at any course relative to the wind. The lateral and especially the lower edges (according to the sea “leech”) were equipped with a whole web of gear that allowed the sail to be stretched in the right way, and special poles could be attached to the lower (“sheet”) corners that held these corners in the required position, which were placed far beyond sides. It should also be mentioned important feature hull design: a powerful, protruding keel, which at the same time played the role of a false keel and prevented the wind from blowing the ship sideways. According to Danish experts, all this made it possible to walk at an angle of less than sixty degrees to the wind. The masts on the Viking ships were removable. The crew could raise or lower it, if necessary, on their own, without resorting to any lifting devices outside the ship. The mast was placed on a heavy wooden stop (this stop was called “mast fish” for its shape), moved with a reliable lock and stretched with three strong ropes: in front - with a stay, and on the sides - with shrouds, somewhat shifted back.

Ship building

Viking Drakar (modern copy)

Boards

Having cut down a tree, it was butchered immediately. This was done so that the tree would not crack. The prepared log was split lengthwise with the help of wedges into two halves. Then - more and more in half. As experiments showed, about twenty identical boards up to 30 cm wide came out of a trunk with a diameter of about a meter.

Tools

The choice of tools among the Vikings was very wide and in skillful hands was sufficient, but the most important tool was an ax. Axes were used in several types, depending on the type of work. Such a passion for the ax is not accidental. The saw is shaggy and gnaws at the wood fibers, and the ax goes along them. The sawn part absorbs more moisture, which would be detrimental to ships.

Rivets and nails

According to archaeological data, in the western part of the Baltic Sea, the skin of the ship was fastened with rows of steel rivets. The inhabitants of the Eastern Baltic preferred to use wooden nails, which, after inserting, were wedged with wooden wedges. Moss was used for caulking, while on the western shores of the Baltic Sea, a tarred cord was laid between the boards. As scientists write, both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. A wooden peg, unlike a steel rivet, does not rust, but when swollen, it will only hold on stronger. However, to achieve the same strength, more of them are required, which means that more holes are made, despite the fact that each is a potential leak.

Literature

• Firks, I. fon. Viking ships = Jochen von Fircks. Wikingerschiffe. Rostock, 1979 / Jochen von Fircks / Per. with him. A. A. Cheban; Reviewer Dr. istor. Sciences M. A. Kogan; Scientific ed. eng. G. E. Aleksandrovsky. - L.: Shipbuilding, 1982. - 104 p. - 100,000 copies.(reg.)

Links

• Petkov S.V. Varangians: The Viking States in Northeastern Europe. - Zaporozhye: KPU, 2009. - 87 p.

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Boat of northern type- (longship), a term, to the eye all Viking ships were designated, and in the narrow sense, their warships. L., as a rule, was built from fir boards and, unlike the flat-bottomed ships of the Anglo-Saxons and Frisians, had a massive oak vertical keel and a mast ... The World History

The largest of the known Viking longships is currently named "Roskilde 6". Naturally, no one knows the real name of this handsome man. When a slender and beautiful silhouette of Roskilde 6 appeared on the horizon a thousand years ago, it was very bad news for those who saw it. This drakkar carried a company of harsh, thirsty for blood and prey warriors through the waters of the northern seas.

This is the largest Viking ship ever found. It was discovered in Roxilda in 1996, and quite by accident. Keeping the rules of the Danish language, it is more correct to pronounce its name as "Roskilde" (Dan. Roskilde). According to estimates, the construction of such a ship in those distant times took 30 thousand man-hours of skilled labor of shipbuilders, plus the work of felling trees and transporting materials. The length of the ship is slightly more than 36 meters, and this is four meters more than the flagship Henry VIII"Mary Rose" (Eng. Mary Rose), built five centuries later. The Roxilde 6 is also six meters longer than the re-created Viking ship Sea Stallion, which in 2007 sailed from Scandinavia to Dublin, circumnavigating Scotland.

Excavations "Roskilde 6"

The original skeleton of the ship is mounted in a metal frame that recreates its shape and full length.
This giant was built after 1025, when the oak trees used for construction were cut down. He could carry 100 warriors, who took turns sitting behind 39 pairs of oars if the wind was not enough to fill the square sail of woolen fabric. They were quite cramped on board, sleeping between the seats, and there was very little space for supplies. Therefore, supplies were taken at a minimum - fresh water, ale or mead, which did not spoil very quickly, dried fish, as well as salted and dried meat.

Swimming was uncomfortable, but usually short. There was no need to take a large load, since the ship was moving surprisingly fast. So, the Sea Stallion ship managed to maintain average speed at 5.5 knots, and the maximum speed was 20 knots. Once landed, the Vikings were able to forage by hunting and plundering, acting ruthlessly and efficiently. All of Europe experienced the fury of the Normans for more than three hundred years.

Surely the ships did not come one by one. “There is evidence in the annals that ships arrived in the hundreds,” says Gareth Williams, a scholar at the British Museum. - Therefore, we can talk about an army of up to 10 thousand people, which suddenly landed on your coast. They were well trained strong warriors capable of moving very quickly both on water and on land. According to Williams, the construction of such luxurious ships was fabulously expensive, but it was a devastating demonstration of the military power of the Normans.

Circumstances of discovery and restoration

The ship was found quite by accident, when an extension was being made in the Roskilde ship museum in Denmark (!). The museum itself also houses Viking ships found earlier, which in ancient times were sunk on purpose to narrow the passage in the fjord and protect the approaches to Roskilde, the ancient royal capital of Denmark.
In 1996, archaeologists observing the progress of construction work discovered the skeleton of a huge ship on the site of a new foundation, some of the frames of which had already been broken by piles driven into the base of the extension.

Moreover, a random find turned out to be a real treasure, consisting of nine (!) Viking ships in total. "Roskilde 6" (I hope now the number "6" in the title is clear), which managed to save almost half of the hull, was the most spectacular discovery.

The original ships of Roskilde are spectacularly put on public display in a hall specially built for this purpose. The cases look very solid, but they can shatter like brittle glass. During the excavations, the damp frames of Roskilde 6 could crumble into dust if they had access to air. The ship conservation project was led by a specialist from the National Museum, Christiane Stratkvern (Kristiane Straetkvern). Its essence was to dry the 10-meter-long frames much more slowly than it was done according to previous methods, and then replace the moisture that had gone with synthetic resin, which made the frame lighter, but remained strong.
A tense moment came for the ship when the assembly and testing of the dried frames began. Each was inserted and secured in its carefully laser-cut and well-fitted socket. The result is a bolted frame that looks like a giant children's toy. But during transportation, it can be easily disassembled into hundreds of parts.

Details of the ship in the process of conservation

The final stage of work: the assembly of the ship "Roskilde 6" on the frame

The wreck of the ship "Roskilde 6" fixed on the frame in the exhibition pavilion of the National Museum of Denmark

The team from the Roskilde Museum has evolved into a group of experts in recreating ancient ships, and they are regularly invited to carry out restoration work. They hope that one day they will be able to recreate a life-size copy of the huge Roskilde 6 ship and send their creation overseas - but not to terrorize the population of Europe, but to arouse in him awe of history.

Specifications and design features

It was possible to establish that Roskilde-6 was a drakkar, of incredible length - 37 m, with a hull width of 3.5 m, so this ship should be attributed to the class that gave rise to such giants as the legendary "Long Serpent" and " Big Dragon. Built around 1025, the beautiful boat was almost certainly royal property, and it is therefore difficult to avoid the temptation to attribute it to King Cnut, who then reigned in Denmark, Norway, England, and southern Sweden.

Oak and T-shaped in cross section, the keel reaches 32 m in length, consists of a central section and two knots along the edges, to which it was attached by means of long connections overlap. The frames, located at a distance of 78 cm from each other, covered the first five sheathing belts, which turned the upper cross-beams connecting them (unfortunately, not preserved) into ideal banks for rowers. Light semi-frames, fitted and fixed between the frames, added strength to the third and fourth belts. The latter was further strengthened by a stringer, to which the lower beams were connected. Only a fragment of the kilson survived, resting on the frames and secured with horizontal elbows. The ship's sail size is estimated at 200 square meters. m. Taking into account also 78 rowers with long oars, the sight of such a leviathan must have been breathtaking. A real ship from the saga, it could easily accommodate 100 warriors, and, without a doubt, additional menacing and militancy was given to it, as always, by a superbly crafted dragon head (which, however, was not found).
Scheme of the surviving hull of the drakkar "Roskilde-6"

The reconstructed silhouette of the ship "Roskilde 6" in comparison with the silhouette of a man (in the bow).

The reconstruction of the ship "Roskilde 6" has not yet been, the most similar of the Viking ships found is the "Skuldelev 2" (Dan. Skuldelev 2 - Skullelev 2), which is 6 meters shorter than the "Roskilde 6". Long sea passages speak of very good qualities this ship.

Drakkars - the name of the ships that were used by the Vikings in the fighting. The Vikings also made knorrs - merchant ships. A curious fact is that already at that time the ships could serve as housing - they could be pulled ashore thanks to a powerful keel and, having secured, equipped as a temporary (and sometimes permanent) home. The answer to the question, what is the name of the bow of the ship, will be the stem.

Today, many, like the ancient Vikings, use yachts as temporary housing - on the way or during stops in the port. This is possible due to the high level of shipbuilding in Croatia. The yacht has all the amenities and the arrangement of the premises does not differ from the apartment - with the exception of the soothing sound of the waves overboard.

The answer to the question of what the Viking ships were called is: drakkar and knorr. The history of shipping says that the Vikings originally built rowing ships, but then, due to general development fleet, began to use the sail. For a long time, brave warriors used both oars and sails, depending on the wind or other factors, changing the way the ship would be propelled. Over time, the Vikings completely switched to sails, abandoning the oars. Depending on the name of the Viking ship, one can say for what purposes it was used.

Why the Vikings were considered the best shipbuilders of their time

Merchant ships gave people access to other shores and, consequently, to the acquisition of new, previously inaccessible goods and the sale of their own. Of course, merchant ships are rarely not full of valuables, products or jewelry, as a result of which piracy develops. To protect wealth from robbery, the construction of warships begins, which are designed to protect merchant ships. The answer to the question, what is the name of the front of the ship, will be the tank.

In parallel, warships were used to conquer new territories, as well as in naval battles during the war. Powerful fleet was often the deciding factor in who would win the war. The Vikings had such a fleet. The left side of the ship is called the backboard.

In addition to trading and warships, the Vikings also built ships for everyday use, such as:

• ferries - for crossing people and goods by sea from one part of the land to another;
• kayaks - for river crossings;
• fishing boats - for catching fish and other sea creatures.

The answer to the question, what is the name left-hand side ship, there will be a backboard.

Why was shipbuilding the most developed by the Vikings?

Due to the geographical location of Scandinavia, it was very difficult to travel in these parts during the Viking times with impenetrable forests, mountains and deep snows. Thus, the most convenient way to travel was by sea. The answer to the question, what is the name of the ship's steering wheel, will, of course, be the steering wheel.

Of course, it is not smart not to take advantage of your own, which is why the Vikings actively built warships and used them to conquer new lands, resources and labor.

Currently, ships are mostly used for traveling and transporting goods, but of course, all countries that have access to the sea or ocean have in stock navy warships.

Interestingly, Viking warships were also called "dragon ships".

They differed in the following characteristics:

• capacity;
• the beauty;
• rapidity;
• small weight, allowing you to carry the vessel on your hands;
• reliability.

Perhaps the main secret of the Vikings, which ensured the victory of this extremely intelligent people in most battles, is that their ships were designed in such a way as to make it possible to enter shallow rivers and dock on gently sloping banks. So, the Vikings could attack unexpectedly, which is already a big advantage.

Viking ships

Much of what we know about Viking ships comes from the discovery of two special boats buried in the second half of the ninth century. in Gokstad and Oseberg in Norway. Ships excavated from these known sites only complete the list of such discoveries, which greatly expand the range of our knowledge of the subject. The most recent find of five ships was found in 1962 near Skuldelev in Roskilde Fjord, Zeeland, where they were scuttled to block the entrance to the harbor in the early 11th century. Most of the discoveries were ship cemeteries and were found mainly in Norway. Only one such discovery has been made in Denmark, at Ladby. The earliest, successful excavations of ships were carried out in Thun in 1867, and in Gokstad and Osebergs only in 1880 and 1903. respectively, but these finds were poorly preserved.

9th century ship found at Gokstad, Vestfold, Norway. It was excavated in 1880 from a mound measuring 162 feet wide and 16 feet high. Preserved with blue clay. (Oldsaksamlipg University, Oslo)

For a large number of old technical terms used in modern language, it is obvious that the Vikings had ships that were different in design and purpose. But a clear distinction between merchant ships and military ships appeared only in the 10th century, due not only to the increased importance of trade in the Scandinavian economy, but also to the establishment of the ledungen military organization, which required the construction of specialized ships. The knorr and kaupskip were intended for trade; for military campaigns - snekkja (meaning "thin and prominent"), skeid (possibly meaning "cutting the water") and drekar or "dragon" - a name that no doubt comes from the custom of carving a dragon's head on the prow of Viking warships.

Carved prow of an Ösberg ship ending in a spiral in the shape of a snake's head. (Oldsaksamling University, Oslo)

General purpose ships equally suited to trade and piracy, such as those found at Gokstad, were commonly called skuta or karfi. The most distinct difference between merchant ships and military ships was that the former were short, wide, with high freeboards and depended primarily on the power of the sails. The military, on the other hand, were longer, already had a smaller displacement (this increased their speed and ability to cover long distances up the river during pirate expeditions) and much more oars. Therefore, warships received the characteristic name langskip - a long ship, or "boat".

Warships varied greatly in size. They were classified according to the number of benches (cans) for rowers (sessa), or the spaces between the cross beams ("places", rum or spantrum). According to Gulafinglow, in the 10th c. a thirteen-can ship (threttanscssa, that is, a ship with 13 benches (cans) on each side, or 26 oars) was the smallest of those that could be called military - anything that was even smaller was already considered unsuitable for war. It is known that in the raids on England at the end of the 9th century. 16-18 can boats were involved, since the Anglo-Saxon chronicle tells that the Great King of Wessex Alfred in 896 built 60-oared ships (i.e. with 30 or more benches), which were twice as large, than the Vikings. Obviously, the ship found in Gokstad belonged to about this time and was 16 cans long. By the time of Goulafinglow, the standard for warships was 20 or 25 cans. Thirty-can ships were also encountered, only in very small numbers (Gulafinglow, for example, estimates the military potential of Norway in the middle of the 10th century at one hundred and twenty 20-can ships, one hundred and sixteen 25-can ships, and only one 30-can ship). Giant warships, over 30 cans, began to appear at the very end of the 10th century. King Olaf Trygvasson's "Long Serpent" with 34 benches was the first and most famous. It was built in the winter of 998; but it was not the largest in history, as many major experts claim. Also famous were several 35-can ships built in the 11th-13th centuries, for example, the "Great Dragon" of King Harald Hardrad, designed in the winter of 1061-1062. in Nidaros.

Restored Gokstad ship, in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. (Oldsaksamling University, Oslo.)

"Hugin", a reconstruction of a Gokstad ship made in Denmark. In 1999 this restored ship crossed the North Sea. It now stands on a plinth at Pegwell Cove, near Ramsgate, Kent.

It is described in King Harald's Saga that it was much wider than an ordinary warship - the same size and proportions as the Long Serpent - and every detail of it was carefully crafted. On the bow - the head of a dragon, on the stern - a tail, besides, the nose was gilded. It had 35 pairs of benches and was huge even for its class. At present, Flateyarbock claims that King Knut had a vessel with 60 places, but this is undoubtedly a mistake, and 60 oars are meant here. Because otherwise its length would be 230 feet or even more, which is basically impossible.

One of Skuldelev's five ships is the largest ever found. The warship was found in poor condition. It is estimated to have been approximately 92 feet long and 15 feet wide, with perhaps 20–25 banks. Among other finds, one can also note the specimens excavated: at Ladby (c. 900-950) measuring 70 by 8.5 feet - from the proportions it can be seen that this is a warship, despite 12 pairs of oars; in Tun (c. 850–900) - approximately 65 by 14.5 feet in size, with 11 pairs of oars. The vessel found at Oseberg was 71.5 feet long and 17 feet wide, with 15 pairs of oars (probably some kind of "royal yacht"); and the Gokstad find was even larger, 76 feet long and 17.5 feet wide, with 16 pairs of oars. Knorr discovered in Skuldelev is the only merchant ship found beyond recent times, measuring 54 by 15.75 feet.

Combat and merchant ships had two small raised decks, at the bow and at the stern. Between them was a deck, sheathed with loose planks, which were raised to facilitate the stacking of bales, a constant need in severe weather. When at anchor or in harbor, the main deck was covered with a large awning attached to a collapsible, lightweight hull frame to protect the crew from the weather. The Swarfdel saga describes 12 ships at anchor: “All covered with black awnings. From under the awnings, light made its way, where people sat and drank. The shields of the crew members were usually hung along the gunwales, although modern experts often claim that this was done only "on special occasions" and was not possible during rowing. However, this opinion is based only on the example of the Gokstad ship, on which the shields were strapped to a wooden rail so that they actually covered the oars. On the Oseberg ship, they were located in the slots of the frame and attached to the outer side of the gunwale in such a way that they did not interfere with rowing at all. This coincides with the testimony of the sagas, which note that shields were sometimes attached in this way on ships participating in the battle. For example, in the "Battle of the Gafrs Fjord" it is described that the gunwales "shone with polished shields", and in the "Battle of the Nissa River" in 1062 "warriors made fortifications from shields hung along the gunwales". In Gotlandic rock art, shields are also depicted in this way on sailing ships.

Approximately 375 limestone and sandstone runestones dating from the 5th to 10th centuries have been found on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The best ones belong to the 8th-9th centuries. This copy, from Larbro, shows a fully equipped ship at the bottom and a battle scene at the top. Between them is a procession of warriors marching to Valhalla. (Stockholm)

Incredibly, no traces of rowing benches themselves were found in any of the Viking ships, most often it is assumed that their role was played by the personal chests of sailors (chests from the Oseberg ship were the right size for sitting).

Although some documents state that the sailors did not store their belongings in chests, but in leather bags (hudfat), which also served as sleeping bags, so this issue is not so simple to solve. In one of the warships found near Skuldelev, cross beams could probably be used as seats. At the same time, one expert suggested that the rowers were standing at all. The oars themselves usually averaged 16 to 17 feet in length, while on the Gokstad vessel they were from 17 feet to 19 feet 2 inches. There were usually one person at the oars, but during the battle there could be three to protect the rower from enemy projectiles and provide a change. The “long serpent” of Olaf Trygvasson in one of the battles of 1000 allegedly had up to 8 people for “half a seat” (that is, at each oar), not counting the remaining 30 fighters. In total, there are 574 crew members, so it is more likely that 8 people were in a "place" and not in "half a place", and the crew consisted of 302 sailors.

This is a carved weather vane made of gilded bronze. According to the stories of the sagas, it was installed on the nose of many Viking boats and was a sign of special significance. Four copies have been preserved as wind vanes on the spiers of churches. This weather vane was found in Helsingland in Sweden, while others on about. Gotland and Norway. All four date from the 11th to 13th centuries, although the Swedish specimen is sometimes dated to the 10th century. Several scratches and dents were found on the weather vane, probably from arrows. Such weathercocks served as long as the Viking ships themselves, and they fell on the spiers of churches according to the tradition of folding sails and other portable ones to save warships in local churches. After a crushing defeat in a naval battle in the 15th century by a flotilla of high-sided fishing boats, the old galleys no longer participated in battles; their equipment was no longer in use, and look for weathercocks to the churches. (Stockholm)

For trips to the open sea, huge square sails were used. They appeared on Scandinavian ships at the latest in the 8th century, and this was undoubtedly one of those technological innovations that contributed to the flowering of the Viking civilization. In 1893 the Viking, an exact reconstruction of the Gokstad ship, crossed Atlantic Ocean. He developed a speed of up to 11 knots under sail and in just 28 days reached from Bergen to Newfoundland. The sails of the Vikings themselves were probably made of wool, although some experts claim they were linen. Ornamental patterns depicted on Gotlandic rock paintings may reflect how leather belts and ropes were used to maintain the shape of woolen sails. These drawings also show the principle of the reef ropes attached to the bottom of the sail. It certainly did not differ in any way from the operating principle used in North Norwegian fishing boats until the 19th century. When the rope was pulled, the canvas was reefed, forming folds, and thus the sail was removed. The sagas describe Viking sails with blue, red, green and white stripes and checks. The remains of the sails from the Gokstad ship were white with red stripes. The mast was probably only half the length of the ship itself, so when it was lowered during the battle, it did not even touch the beams at the stern. Not a single mast was found in its entirety.

At the stern, on the starboard side (helmsmanship), there was a large oar with a removable handle, which served as a rudder. On the bow and stern, the heads and tails of animals, in particular, dragons ("serpents"), were usually carved. This Northern European custom dates back to the 1st-2nd centuries, which is confirmed by Norwegian rock paintings. According to such gilded heads, ships were usually given names, for example: “Long Serpent”, “Buffalo”, “Crane”, “Human Head”. According to Icelandic law, during a trip to new land it was first necessary to transport the head figure from the ship in order to drive away the spirits that patronize the island. This custom may have been widespread throughout Scandinavia, since even the tapestry from Boie depicts a Norman flotilla sailing on the sea, with figures of heads, and moored in England without them.

Drawing on a carved cane from the first half of the thirteenth century, found in Bergen. The bows of Norwegian ships are depicted, of which three are with weathercocks.

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§ 3. Mauretanian ships The system of Augustus, who entrusted the Syrian and Alexandrian fleets with patrolling the eastern seas, did not long retain its original clarity. In the reign of Vespasian, an imperial freedman commanded the Libourne Nilus of Alexandria

The last type of boats can be attributed to the Scandinavian drakkars - Viking ships. Such vessels are now rarely seen in the open spaces of water, although once they plowed the seas and oceans, and not just the coastal waters of Norway, and, according to historians, even reached the shores of America before Columbus's caravels.

"Dragons" from the Norwegian fjords

Translated from Norwegian, the name of the Vikings sounds like “dragon ship”, which is associated with the characteristic frightening decorations in the form of carved sculptures (most often dragons) in the bow of such ships. Another name for Drakkars is Langskip, i.e. "long ships", which is also associated with the peculiarities of Scandinavian shipbuilding, making their wooden ships narrow (up to 2.6 m wide), long (from 35 to 60 m), with a highly raised curved stern and bow. Drakkars were also called the entire flotilla of Scandinavian warships, on which the Vikings carried out their raids from the sea into foreign territories.

It is interesting! It was customary to remove the knob in the form of a dragon's head from the nose of the drakkar when the ship approached friendly lands. The Vikings believed that in this way they could avoid the wrath of good spirits. In addition, such "decorations" were present only on fighting drakkars, while similar fishing and trading ships of the Vikings had nothing of the kind.

Drakkars moved across the expanses of water by rowing with oars (on especially large ships there were up to 30-35 pairs of oars), as well as the assistance of a fair wind blowing into a rectangular (rarely square) sail spread out in the middle of the vessel. The sails were made from sheep's wool. One large cloth could take up to 2 tons of wool and a couple of years of work to create it, so the sails were a very valuable component of drakkars.

Management was carried out due to the steering oar, installed on the starboard side of the vessel. In the presence of such "engines", drakkars could reach speeds of up to 10-12 knots, which at that time could be equated to rather high "technical indicators". Viking boats could navigate both narrow bays and wide seas. It is known for certain that the Scandinavian drakkars reached the shores of Greenland and, and even the coast North America(which was subsequently proven more than once by repeating the route on similar replica ships).

It is interesting! In addition to drakkars, the Vikings also had snacks - "snake ships", which had smaller dimensions and were capable of speeds up to 15-20 knots, and knorrs - merchant ships. Knorrs were wider than drakkars, but at the same time they developed less speed and were not intended for walking in shallow river water.

Drakkars with low sides often merged with high waves, which allowed the Vikings to carry out a sudden landing, being completely unexpected opponents. It is likely that the name “Vikings”, which literally sounds like “people from”, also arose due to ships with frightening dragon heads suddenly appearing from coastal bays.

Drakkar - home of the Viking

Drakkars were wooden ships, during the construction of which preference was given to ash, oak and pine. For the manufacture of the keel and frame, trees with natural bends were initially chosen. For side plating, exclusively oak boards were used, which were overlapped. In addition, the sides of the ship were protected by shields.

It is interesting! It was believed that only an ax (or several of its varieties) was enough to build a drakkar, although other tools were often used.

The Scandinavians considered the ship their home. Like a horse for a nomad, a Viking ship was the main treasure, for which it was not a pity to give one's life in a fight with enemies. Even on their last journey, the Scandinavian kings (tribal leaders) were sent precisely in drakkars. Some of the burial vessels that have survived to this day can be seen in Norway.

The particularly reverent attitude of the Vikings to their ships is also evidenced by the original names of the Drakkars: “Lion of the Waves”, “Sea Serpent”, “Horse of the Wind”, etc., which are known from the ancient Scandinavian sagas. And the seaworthiness of these ships fully justified such poetic names. When in 1893 a copy of a medieval drakkar, called the Viking, overtook other sailing ships in 27 days, it was clearly proven that few could compete with the Viking ships during their existence for the best seaworthiness.

Ships from Scandinavian sagas today

Lines from Hatfield's song "Slowly the Drakkars float away into the distance, you don't have to wait to meet them..." remind that the era of the Vikings and Drakkars has long sunk into oblivion, but there are enthusiasts who are not indifferent to historical heritage Scandinavians who are trying to recreate a piece of the past in the present.

For example, the most big drakkar modernity -, the construction (or rather, the reconstruction of an ancient copy) of which took almost 5 years, was created specifically for crossing the Atlantic and the opportunity to clearly prove that Viking ships could reach the coast of North America (which was done this summer).

It is interesting! On the embankment of Vyborg, you can see typical Viking longships with an unusual history.

The vessels are not historical, but created at the shipyard of Petrozavodsk specifically for the filming of the film "And Trees Grow on Stones" (1984), which took place in this city. The real-life Gokstad ship was taken as a sample. The director of the film, Stanislav Rostotsky, after the completion of filming, presented the boat to the residents of the city in gratitude for their help in filming the picture. But now you can already admire only new models - created in 2009 at the Vyborg shipyard to replace the blackened "cine" ships.

Many lovers of historical reconstructions repeatedly take attempts to recreate one or another real-life Scandinavian drakkar using the same simple Viking shipbuilding technologies. For example, it took about 300 oak trees, 7000 nails, 600 liters of resin (all Viking-made ships were impregnated with resin) and 2 km of ropes to recreate one of the most famous drakkars in history - the 30-meter Havhingsten fra Glendalough.

Reconstructions of historical Viking ships are popular among the inhabitants of Denmark and, but most often they reconstruct not longships, but snackcars, which do not require large teams to control.

Although the Vikings went down in history as sea robbers, no worse than the pirates of the Caribbean, it can be said that their shipbuilding traditions served as the basis for the creation of medieval Western Europe, which adopted the successful designs of the Scandinavian Drakkars.