With the help of special items, you can build and upgrade buildings, as well as demolish them if necessary.
Warrior Blueprint— an item required for the construction and improvement of the Military Block. It can be purchased at the Clan Store for Loyalty Points and at the Item Store for Gold. There is also a chance to find the Warrior's Blueprint in Loki's Chest.
Bronze- an item that is needed to improve buildings from level 27 to 31. It can be earned by completing personal Tasks, purchased in the Clan Store for Loyalty points or as part of bank offers, and also received for attacking the Uber Invaders. The probability of dropping Bronze is affected by the Hero's Skills, learned Knowledge, equipment and boosts that increase the Hero's combat performance in the fight against the Invaders.
Nugget- an item for improving buildings from level 32 to 35. It is issued as a reward for reaching milestones in Competitions and for winning places in the Asgard League ratings. Also, the Nugget can be purchased as part of bank offers or found in the Chests of the Gods, which drop out for the extraction of resources in the “Gifts of the Gods” locations of levels 8 and 9.
All of the above items are displayed in the "Resources" section in the "My Items" tab.
Torch- an item with which you can instantly demolish an unnecessary building in the city. It can be purchased in the Item Shop for Gold, and also received as a reward for attacking the Invaders and for daily entry into the game. The number of available Torches is displayed in the “My Items” tab, in the “Bonuses” section.
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. It could carry 100 warriors, who took turns sitting behind 39 pairs of oars if the wind was not enough to fill the square sail made 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 previously found Viking ships, 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 was done by 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, spaced 78 cm apart, covered the first five plating belts, which turned the upper cross-beams connecting them (unfortunately, not preserved) into ideal cans 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. 
Drakkar (Norwegian Drakkar, from the Old Norse Drage - "dragon" and Kar - "ship", literally - "dragon ship") - a wooden Viking ship, long and narrow, with a highly curved bow and stern. Viking ships were designed for different purposes and not all of them were of the same size and type. Three of the most famous and best-preserved ships to this day were found in Norwegian mounds near the Oslo Fjord - in Gokstad, Oseberg and Thun. Why am I having this conversation? And to the fact that the reconstruction of the drakkar from Oseberg was carried out in Riga! Here is photographic evidence of this:
And information from the press:
Juris Erts, project manager for the launch of the vessel, said that Osa was made according to drawings of a thousand years ago and is unique in its kind - there are no copies not only in the Baltics and Scandinavia, but throughout the world.
The Osebergship, the progenitor of the Osa, is the oldest Norwegian Viking warship, which began to be built in the early ninth century and was used as a representative transport of the king's retinue, as well as during attacks and for transporting cavalry.
The modern Osa was recreated by Kubuks with the support of Norwegian entrepreneur Per Björkum and Latvian artisans. Other countries also helped financially - the amount of investments cannot be calculated, because the ship turned out to be unique. The idea to build a Viking ship arose in the early 1990s, work with drawings began only in 2000. Practical work also came in 2007.
http://www.ves.lv/article/81102
The unofficial launch of the Drakkar took place at the beginning of May, as an eyewitness of this event tells:
On the morning of May 9, on Victory Day, Lenya called me and invited me to witness a solemn event - the launch of the first longship built in Latvia. I promptly got ready and came, especially since the place X is located next to the house.
Drakkar was built by order of the Norwegian side for the purpose of riding tourists. It is made of oak (only the mast is made of pine) and reaches a length of 24 m. The famous tomb ship from Oseberg, 9th century, served as a prototype. I must say right away that during the construction, all authentic technologies were not fully observed, since initially the ship was not planned in the form of a complete reconstruction. The work was carried out over two years. Master - Juris Erts, an experienced carpenter and yachtsman. While the ship is in Riga, and, perhaps, you can still freely look at it with your own eyes. In the future, it will be transported by water to Norway.
I bring to your attention my photo report with video interspersed.
http://ms-reenactor.livejournal.com/153724.html
And here is the official release:
On Saturday, May 23, a Viking ship was launched into the main river of Latvia, created according to the drawings of a thousand years ago, LNT TV channel reports. The unique vessel named Osa has no analogues not only in the Baltics and Scandinavia, but throughout the world.
The modern Osa was created in the likeness of the Oseberg ship - an oak ship (drakkar) of the Vikings, discovered in 1904 near Tønsberg in the Norwegian province of Vestfold. The boat and its contents were removed from the ground and are now on display at the Drakkar Museum in Oslo. Based on dendrochronological data, this ancient ship was launched c. 820 and until 834 was used in coastal navigation, after which it was used as a funeral ship.
The length of the ship is 22 meters, the width is 6 meters, the size of the mast could vary from 6 to 10 m. With a sail area of 90 square meters. m. the ship could reach speeds of up to 10 knots. 15 pairs of oarlocks indicate that the vessel was set in motion by 30 rowers. The bow and stern of the ship are decorated with intricate carvings in the form of woven animals, as well as triangles connected into a valknut.
Since 2007, the construction of the first Latvian Viking ship in the world, which was already plying the waters of the Daugava on May 23, has been carried out by Kubuks since 2007.
According to the LNT television company, this summer the ship will travel across the Baltic Sea to Ventspils, and then go to the island of Gotland and Sweden.
http://www.novanews.lv/index.php?mode=news&id=74349
But on the eve of the official descent, on Friday, May 22, my husband, at my request, found the parking lot of the drakkar and photographed it in detail. So all the photos of the Riga Drakkar in this post are ours. :-)
About the further fate of the Drakkar:
The organizers plan to place a copy of the boat in front of the Presidential Palace, so that everyone who is interested will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the intricacies of the shipbuilding of the ancient Vikings.
In June, an analogue of the Osa boat will sail across the Baltic Sea from Riga to Ventspils, and then across the island of Gotland to Sweden.
http://rus.delfi.lv/news/daily/latvia/article.php?id=24410117
And now the story about the original Viking ship, in whose image the Riga Drakkar was created:
In striking contrast to the ascetic decoration of the ship from Gokstad, the luxurious splendor of the ship, discovered in 1903 in Oseberg, is striking. In general, the designs of these two ships are similar; the ship from Oseberg is only slightly shorter, with only one pair of oars less, but the overall impression of it is completely different, since the depth of the ship in the middle does not reach even 1 meter. Rising from the long, low sides, the bow and stern soar high above the water, and the take-off bend of the bow ends with a spiral - a curved snake. Bands of rich carving with a pattern of undulating curls outline the two edges on either side of the nose; upon closer inspection, it turns out that these are not just curls, but rows of intertwining animals. Those who stood on the deck facing forward could see another carved panel, more grotesque and even playful in style, where small demi-human figures with bulging eyes and tadpole bodies clamber over each other.
However, no matter how richly decorated the ship from Oseberg was, it was never intended to sail on the high seas. He has a too low draft, a thin keel, there are no shutters in the oarlocks; on the stern and in the hull itself due to the grooves in the skin there is weak spots, and almost all the boards of the deck are nailed down, so that if necessary it would not even be possible to bail out the water. Such a ship was suitable only for the calm waters of a closed fjord; apparently, it was used for recreational trips or, since many of the objects found in it could be associated with a cult, the ship served religious purposes and was used in the cult of some deity.
The burial took place around the middle of the 9th century, but the ship was already old and worn out when it got into the mound. His keel almost fell into disrepair; the block that held the mast in place had once split and was being repaired; the tiller was missing; the oars, rudder, and mast were not part of the original rigging, but replacements—indeed, some of the oars were not even finished. Apparently, the ship had not been used for several years, and some of the rigging was missing from her, so she had to be hastily equipped in order to be worthy of her last task.
The ships also had tents - frames for them were found both in Gokstad and in Oseberg. The frames are made of ash, and on the boards that form the "skates" above the tent, animal heads are carved, which protrude above the fabric of the tent. Their purpose is to protect sleeping people from evil. Frames from dismantled beds were also found, some of them with the heads of animals, very similar to animals from the tent; obviously, the tent and beds were a set.
The tents were very spacious: the tent from Oseberg is 5.18 meters long, 4.38 meters wide and 3.43 meters high, while the other is only slightly smaller and its height is 2.63 meters. Such tents were sometimes laid out on the deck when the ship was moored, but more often when traveling along the coast, people went ashore every evening and laid out a tent on the ground. Those without beds used leather sleeping bags, often one for two for warmth.
The night on the shore gave the opportunity to cook. Among the kitchen utensils found on the ship from Oseberg are two iron cauldrons with chains and hooks for hanging, spoons, knives, hatchets, wooden bowls, barrels and plates, as well as a hand mill for grinding grain; on two boards lay the carcass of an ox.
Carved pillars ending in open-mouthed animal heads may once have adorned small boats and are thought to be older than the Viking Age; other similar pillars were found in a burial chamber aboard the ship from Oseberg, although we do not know what item they were part of. This serpent's head is from the Useberg ship itself and was a permanent part of its hull, however we know from other sources that the figures on the prows of the ships may have been removable.
http://www.bibliotekar.ru/vikingi/4.htm
And a few quotes about drakkars in general.
Of course, the Vikings would not have gained their gloomy fame if they did not have the best ships for those times. The hulls of their "sea dragons" were perfectly adapted to sailing in the turbulent northern seas: low sides, gracefully upturned bow aft end; aft side - stationary steering oar; painted in red or blue stripes or checkered canvas sails on the mast, were installed in the center of the spacious deck. Merchant ships of the same type and military ships, much more powerful, inferior in size to the Greek and Roman ones, significantly surpassed them in maneuverability and speed. Time really helped to evaluate their superiority. AT late XIX century, in a burial mound in southern Norway, archaeologists found a well-preserved 32-oared drakar. Having built its exact copy and tested it in ocean waters, the experts came to the conclusion that with a fresh wind, a Viking ship under sail could develop almost ten knots - and this is one and a half times more than Columbus's caravels while sailing to the West Indies ... through more than five centuries.
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/vs/article/123/
The dimensions of the Drakkars ranged from 35 to 60 meters. A carved dragon's head was attached to the bow (hence the name of the type of ship), and shields were located along the sides. Not every ship with a dragon's head in the bow was a longship - the dragon's head symbolized the high status of the owner of the ship, and the ship itself could be anything. When approaching friendly lands, the dragon's head was removed - according to the beliefs of the peoples of the North, it could frighten or anger good spirits. If the Vikings wanted peace, the leader from the nose of the drakkar showed a shield, the inner side of which was painted white. Drakkars were propelled by oars and a simple sail. Management was carried out using a steering oar with a short transverse tiller mounted on the starboard side. Large ships had up to 35 pairs of oars (the "Great Serpent", built for King Olaf Tryggvasson in the winter of 999/1000) and reached speeds of up to 10-12 knots, which can be considered an outstanding indicator for ships of this class. Drakkars were distinguished by their versatility - the ships were used for military operations, transportation, as well as for long-distance sea voyages, which the ship's design allowed. In particular, the Vikings reached Iceland, Greenland and North America on drakkars.
Drakkars are large analogues of another type of Viking ships - Snekkars (from Snekja - snake and Kar - ship). Snekkars had a smaller size (up to 30 meters) and a smaller team (up to 60 people). They were also controlled by a square sail, had 25-30 pairs of oars and could reach a speed of 15-20 knots on the high seas.
Viking fleet: prows of ships in Norwegian rock art:
Drakkars, due to their low draft, were convenient for moving along the rivers. For the same reason, drakkars were often also used for sudden landings of troops in the attacked territory. The low sides made the drakkar barely distinguishable against the backdrop of sea waves, which made it possible to maintain camouflage until the last moment.
A number of drakkars have survived to this day - they are now exhibited in Viking ship museums in Norway and Denmark.
Drakars were built from ash, pine or oak. Viking shipbuilders initially chose trees with natural curves for the keel and frames. After felling, the tree was cut in half, and then one plank was cut from each half. To maintain strength and elasticity, the Vikings carved boards exclusively along the fibers, and used various types of axes as a tool. The resulting boards could be bent up to 40 degrees without the consequences of deformation. Oak boards were taken for side plating and overlapped. The boards were held together with iron nails and rivets. Then the whole structure was impregnated with pine resin. Thus, when moving through the water, an air gap was created - this increased stability, stability and speed of movement: the greater the speed became, the more stable and smooth the boat moved.
Various historical organizations tried to recreate this or that ship using original technologies. "Sea horse from Glendalough" (Havhingsten fra Glendalough) 30-meter ship, almost an exact copy of the Viking ship Skuldelev-2 (named after the village of Skuldelev in which 5 ships were found in 1962 by marine archaeologists) built in 1042 in Ireland and sunk at the end XI century in the Roskilde fjord. It took about 300 oak trunks, 7000 iron nails and rivets, 600 liters of resin and 2 km of ropes to create it.
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80
The Normans called their warships "long" (longships), and also, depending on the size, drakkars ("dragons") or shnekkar ("snake"). For example, two Viking ships found in Norway, dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries, respectively, are about 23 m long; one 15, the other 16 pairs of oars, clinker (edge to edge) sheathing and remarkably slender hull contours, smoothly flowing into gracefully curved stems. Scientists claim that drakkars were often built with a length of 30 m or more, and the transport ships of the Normans - knorrs, on which the Vikings transported captured cattle and horses, reached 50 meters in length.
Viking boats differed in the number of pairs of rowing oars, large ships - in the number of rowing benches. 13 pairs of oars identified minimum size combat ship. The very first ships were designed for 40–80 people each, and a large keel ship of the 11th century. accommodated several hundred people. Such large combat units exceeded 46 meters in length.
The old Norwegian sagas tell that stylized images of mythical dragons and snakes were a favorite decoration of Viking ships' posts. The sight of monsters growing in the distance of the sea was supposed to terrify the enemies and, undoubtedly, caused panic in the peaceful coastal villages of other countries.
The heads of the dragons were sometimes covered with gilding, and the carved false boards on the sides often depicted their paws, wings, and scales. The same decoration could be on the stern, and in some cases there was a wriggling dragon's tail. When sailing in the waters of Scandinavia, these decorations were usually sheathed or removed so as not to frighten their wives, children, the elderly, as well as good spirits who patronized sailors. Often, when approaching the port, shields were hung in a row on the sides of the ships, but this was not allowed on the high seas.
In addition to fearsome dragons and snakes, Viking ships sometimes carried less warlike figures - carvings of a bull, lion, deer or dolphin, and transport and fishing ships often did not have any decorations. Drakkar of the Norman king William the Conqueror, who made an aggressive campaign in England in 1066, carried a gilded figure of a lion on the stem, and on the stem a wooden statue of a leader blowing a battle horn, with a banner in his other hand.
The attitude of the Vikings to their ships is evidenced by their sonorous names, sung in ancient sagas: "Sea Serpent", "Whirlwind Raven", "Lion of Waves", "Sea Deer", "Wind Horse", "Sled of the Lord of the Seas". And the drakkars of the sea kings lived up to their names. Their high seaworthiness was clearly confirmed in practice, when in 1893 a copy of the Gokstadt ship, called the Viking, crossed the Atlantic in 27 days, overtaking other sailing ships along the way, in particular a four-masted schooner. Due to the absence of superstructures and the semi-rigid hull structure, when the frames were connected to the sheathing with a flexible vine, the drakkar had an enviable lightness, agility and excellent stability. According to the captain of the Viking, Magnus Anderson, in a fresh wind, the hull of the drakkar, under the influence of the sail, rose half a foot above the water, which reduced the friction surface and allowed it to develop a speed of 10-12 knots. So once again the high seaworthiness of the Viking ships was confirmed.
The bow and stern of the boat are the same, which made it possible to row in any direction without turning around. The rooks had a keel, to which the frames were attached, the skin was attached to the frames. The rudder was a large oar attached to the side of the sternpost. Viking rooks had up to 32 oars on each side.
Ships were often built from boards laid in rows with overlapping and fastened with curved frames. Above the waterline, most warships were brightly painted.
Viking ships moved with the help of sails and oars. A simple sail, made of rough canvas, was often painted in stripes and checks. The mast could be shortened and even removed altogether. With the help of skillful devices, the captain could navigate the ship against the wind. The ships were steered by a paddle-shaped rudder mounted at the stern of the vessel.
Several surviving Viking ships are exhibited in museums in the Scandinavian countries. One of the most famous, discovered in 1880 in Gokstad (Norway), dates back to about 900 AD. It reaches a length of 23.3 m and a width of 5.3 m. The ship had a mast and 32 oars, it had 32 shields. In places, elegant carved decorations have been preserved.
http://copypast.ru/2008/09/30/vikingi_i_ikh_drakkary.html
Riga reconstruction is far from the only one.
In 1880, near Sandefjord (Norway), a large Scandinavian ship dating back to the 9th century (called the ship from Gokstad (Gokstad)) 24 m long, 5.1 m wide was found. panels. The mast was approx. 13 m. The length of the rowing oar was 5.5 m. The ship had sixteen pairs of oars. It is therefore not entirely clear why only ten oar holes are shown in the figure. Also puzzling is the cross on the mast, shown in the figure. In the ninth century almost without exception, the Vikings were consistent, staunch pagans. It remains to be assumed that the depicted cross has nothing to do with Christian symbolism.
This beautiful and well-proportioned ship with a side line steeply raised to both ends was built entirely of oak and richly ornamented. The silhouette of the Scandinavian ship is one of a kind and has not only aesthetic merits. The exceptional seaworthiness of this type of vessel was practically proved by twelve young Norwegians in 1898 (1893?). Having built an exact copy of the Gokstadt ship, they successfully crossed the North Atlantic, showing an average speed of 9-10 knots, and a maximum speed of 11 knots (!). This is quite good for later large sailing ships, as for rowing warships, this is almost fantastic!
http://www.sci-lib.net/index.php?s=00f98edf138f824760e13fa34af7bd6b&act=Print&client=printer&f=38&t=2251
Another example of successful reconstruction and sailing:
On July 1, 2007, Danish historical reenactment enthusiasts will embark on a sea voyage aboard the largest replica of the Viking drakar boat.
The 30-meter boat "Havhingsten fra Glendalough" ("Horse of the Sea from Glendalough") is modeled on an 11th-century Viking ship found in Danish Roskilde in 1962, but built in the Irish town of Glendalough.
http://www.lenta.ru/news/2007/05/28/viking/
(About Knud's dakkarsII Great, England, 1015).
Good day.
The warm summer is over. Summer cottages, gardens, vegetable gardens and vacations, including “vacations” from hobbies, have ended. Such a kind of vacation for me was a model of a Viking ship called the Drakkar, in 1/50 scale from Revell.
A bit of history.
Drakkar (Drage - "dragon" and Kar - "ship") - a long and narrow wooden Viking ship, with a high bow and stern.
The dimensions of the drakkars reached 18.5 meters and had up to 35 pairs of oars. Drakkars were propelled by oars and a rectangular sail. A carved dragon's head was attached to the bow (stem) (hence the name of the type of ship), and on the sides there were shields for transporting the protection of the rowers. Management was carried out using a steering oar with a short transverse tiller mounted on the starboard side. Drakkars were distinguished by their versatility - the ships were used for military operations, transportation, as well as for long-distance sea voyages, which the ship's design allowed. In particular, the Vikings reached Iceland, Greenland and North America on drakkars.
Archaeologists, scientists and historians have released a mass scientific works on Scandinavian mythology, created an even greater number of works on the life, customs and customs of the Scandinavians, but ... we are not interested in this, we need ships - Drakkars. And archaeologists have them too.
Most famous ships that have come down to our time are ships from Gokstad, Oseberg, Skullelev, Ladby, Nydam, Thune, Kvalsund. By the way, the ship offered by Revell is most similar to the Gokstad ship.
In addition, runic (picture or memorial) stones, in particular the Satura-Hammar stone from Gotland (Sweden), give some idea of the ships of the northerners.
In general, this topic is quite interesting, but I think those who are addicted will be able to find the information they need without my tediousness, so let's get down to business.
Box.
So, Revell brings to our attention four brown plastic sprues with two halves of the hull, deck, lodgements, mast, yardarm, oars, rudder, bow and tail figures, shields, anchor, rigging and some kind of stand with a nameplate. Plastic sail, hank of thread and decal.
After studying the kit, I came to the conclusion that the only advantage of this model is the very well-crafted and molded wood grain on the hull and deck. Everything else leaves much to be desired. A decal in the form of a stern Viking in a horned helmet on a sail is an unintelligible thing, like the plastic sail itself.
I would rather call the oars spears, because they look like them. Shields would be nice if (yes, if only) it weren’t for a truncated imitation of leather edging and conical umbones.
Assembly.
As I said above, in my opinion, by the hull contours, the presented ship most of all resembles the ship from Gostad. But I decided not to make a Gokstad ship, but, if I may say so, collective image, which resulted in smoothing and giving smoother, rounded forms of the stem and stern, as well as the replacement of figures and various small things.
The first stage, after gluing the halves of the hull, was its “nailing”. That is, initially I wanted to make metal rivets, but in the process of painting I decided that wooden dowels looked more advantageous. This process was perhaps the most tedious and time-consuming in the construction of the model: first, holes were drilled in the boards of the hull plating, then the dowels themselves were made and glued. The process of their manufacture consisted in melting synthetic brush bristles over candles, resulting in spherical caps on a stem. In total, about 1200 pins were made (600 not each side), which is hardly a third of the required number, but this would have been too much, to the detriment of entertainment.
Further, a dragon's head was carved from the linden for the stem and the tail for the stern. The deck was used from the kit, without modifications (although it needed them - at least beams, and perhaps frames at the same time), the only thing was that I had to add flooring in the bow myself (which is still available in the stern in the kit).
“Ducks” were made and glued to the bulwark, of which only six were given in the set, out of the required fourteen. Replaced with wooden cradles for the spars, on which I also fixed the pole for the tent, well, the twist itself with the latter. Lodgments for oars are made.
I did not like the oars themselves, I had to make new 32 oars from linden. Well, it would not be very convenient to turn them while standing, besides, the harsh northern robbers needed to “stash” the unjustly obtained somewhere, therefore, he made the corresponding number of chests, plus a chest for the helmsman and a chest for the jarl.
For the entourage, I added a few home-made little things to the deck - several barrels, a tub with a lid, a bucket, an ax and a bag. Plus one barrel (at the stern) is a prefabricated wooden model (unfortunately I don’t know the manufacturer).
Converted to a wooden steering wheel and its mount. The mast and yardarm were also replaced with wooden ones carved from poplar. Anchor from Amati.
The last detail taken from the kit was the shields, of which the manufacturer did not skimp on as many as 64. Perhaps this is logical - there could be several shifts of rowers on board during the combat campaign, but such a number of shields on the sides of the model, in my opinion, is too much.
And again, as I wrote above, I did not like the cone-shaped umbones, which were ruthlessly cut off and replaced with brass hemispheres. The leather edging on the front side is done well, but on the back it is absent as a class, to say the least - it has gone into the minus.
The sail was naturally replaced by a woven one. Initially, a special canvas was purchased for shipbuilders, but I didn’t really like it - the weaving is very small. I wanted a more brutal look, for the sake of which a coarser fabric was purchased.
There are still disputes over the color of the sail, in particular, whether the sail was striped (with contrasting colors) or not. Again, at the beginning of the article, I wrote about the images of Viking ships on rune stones, where a diamond-shaped pattern is visible, which is a crossed strip of skin sewn onto the canvas (to strengthen it). I like this theory more than red and white striped ones. The sewn stripes would have looked luridly on the model and I was content with a simple stitching, but I was too smart with turning the edges in two layers - it turned out massive and not even, one would be enough, but “after a fight, they don’t wave their fists.”
The final touch was the installation of rigging. In general, the rigging was quite primitive: stay, fordun (shrouds), halyard (archstay). For management: bras, spruyt and sheet.
Coloring.
If we already make the ship of one of the most famous sea robbers, then make it brutal, and, accordingly, dark and gloomy.
The hull was painted with a muddy brown color that was selected “by eye”, and with a dry brush I selected the texture of the wood in two passes. Tempera - natural sienna and light ocher. To give the effect of dark wood, everything was covered with bituminous varnish with a solvent in a 1: 1 ratio.
The deck is painted in sand color, spilled with Tamiya dark brown wash, and highlighted with the same natural sienna and light ocher.
The wooden parts were painted with bituminous varnish.
Stand.
The stand is made of pine board brushed with brushes and varnished "under the walnut". Figures holders - "drips for vipers": D (who is not in the subject - a drip-type mouthpiece for electronic cigarettes), I saw and purchased it by chance in the corresponding store.
I apologize in advance for possible errors in specific terminology (I have never been a shipbuilder).
Thank you for your attention.
P.S. I forgot to point out a couple of my mistakes. Firstly, the fastening of the stay, halyard (archstay) and fordun (shrouds) is not fully reproduced. Secondly, the armature rod is fixed parallel, not perpendicular to the horns. It seems that everyone repented :)
In short - yes, small, but it was. Its presence is clearly seen on the exhibits of ships that archaeologists managed to get. More on this later in the article.
First, remember that there are at least 2 types of Viking ships that are quite different: . The main differences are that the first was created so that the landing of the vessel was higher (better patency in shallow water) and the ship itself was lighter and faster. Accordingly - the total saving of space. The second (knorr) was created for a large carrying capacity and the maximum possible cruising range.
Knorrs
If we talk about knorrs, then there is no doubt about the presence of a hold. But this is not a full-fledged under-deck space in full growth, as everyone imagines. In knorrs, the landing of the ship was deep, the sides were higher. All this in order to accommodate as much cargo as possible, and so that the cargo is protected from sea waves and water as best as possible.
In the middle, the deck was open to accommodate oversized cargo, including animals. The latter still somehow had to be fed, to watch them during the journey. There was indeed a lot of protected space under the two deck halves. Real hold. But, of course, not for living. Even with such a height from the bottom of the ship to the deck, it is hard to imagine how people are accommodated there.
Universal ships, carvies
But with the space below deck warship another situation. First, let's look at the cross-section of the universal Viking ship using the Gokstad ship as an example:
There is very little of it. In the photographs of a replica of this 22-meter boat, you can see for yourself the scarcity of space.
In fact, this space would not exist if it were not necessary to make the deck even due to protruding beams - beams transversely strengthening the ship.
Pay attention to one more feature - this space could be used for laying ballast. Also, the hold had to be accessible for disassembly in order to scoop out water, which inevitably accumulated in turbulent weather. And, perhaps, they didn’t scoop it out until it reached the level of the deck or until the boat moored.
Based on all this, it is difficult to imagine that such a hold was seriously considered for storing anything. What is the direct responsibility of the hold. But, nevertheless, some simple, not bulky cargo could be placed there. For example, shields, tackle. At the same time, given that the hold was not flooded with water.
Here is another replica of the Gokstad ship, built in Norway in 1892-1893. Now it is stored in Chicago, USA. The photographs clearly show the volume of space:
Here is what is written on the website of the museum, where the Gokstad boat is stored:
The deck consists of planks of pine that could be lifted so that the crew could easily bale out water if necessary. This also provided storage capacity for a little cargo.
The deck consists of pine planks that could be raised to allow the crew to easily bail out water when needed. Thanks to this, there was access to space for a small load.
Gokstad ship is universal ship(karvi), i.e. it was used both as a combat and for transporting cargo (on deck). This type of boat was common until the beginning of the 11th century, when a clear division into merchant ships and combat ships appeared - longships(longskips) or longships(drakens, dragons).
Drakkars
cross section longship, longship indicates that space also exists, but has a different form. The reason is the peculiarity of the drakkar - it is narrower and longer. For example, the width of Skuldelev-2 is only 3.8 meters versus 5.1 for the Gokstad boat. Although the length of this drakkar is much longer (30m versus 23.8m).
Look at the image of the cross section of the deck of Skuldelev 2 (Skuldelev 2) at the top. The space below deck gains in height, but loses in width. Don't forget about ballast and water accumulation.
Results
Finally, if we consider viking drakkars- yes, there was a hold. It could be used to store some small items, but no more.
Despite the inconvenient shape, the lack of full access to the entire space, flooding with water make such a hold, nevertheless, very a good remedy to save deck space. In cases where nothing should interfere, to cope with the elements in stormy weather or for a large area, for mobility in boarding combat or battle side to side.
