How longships and longships were built. Viking ships - history in photographs - LiveJournal How to build a Viking longship
The largest known Viking longship currently bears the name Roskilde 6. Naturally, no one knows the real name of this handsome man. When the 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 stern warriors thirsting for blood and booty across the waters of the northern seas.
This is the largest Viking ship ever found. It was discovered in Rocksylda in 1996, quite by accident. Keeping the rules of the Danish language, its name is more correctly pronounced as “Roskilde” (Danish: Roskilde). According to calculations, 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 ship is just over 36 meters long, four meters longer than Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose, built five centuries later. Roxylde 6 is also six meters longer than the Viking ship recreated as the Sea Stallion, which sailed from Scandinavia to Dublin, rounding Scotland, in 2007.
Excavations "Roskilde 6" 
The original hulk 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 at 39 pairs of oars if there was not enough wind to fill the square woolen sail. It was quite cramped for them on board; they had to sleep between the seats, and there was very little space for supplies. Therefore, they took a minimum of supplies - fresh water, ale or mead, which did not spoil very quickly, dried fish, as well as salted and dried meat.
The swim was uncomfortable, but usually short. There was no need to take a large load, since the ship was moving surprisingly fast. Thus, the Sea Stallion vessel managed to maintain an average speed of 5.5 knots, and its maximum speed was 20 knots. Once ashore, the Vikings were able to obtain food by hunting and plundering, being ruthless and efficient. All of Europe experienced the wrath of the Normans for more than three hundred years.
Surely the ships did not come one by one. “There is evidence in the records that ships arrived in the hundreds,” says Gareth Williams, a scientist at the British Museum. – Therefore, we can talk about an army of up to 10 thousand people, which suddenly landed on your coast. These were well-trained, strong warriors, capable of moving very quickly both on water and on land.” According to Williams, such luxury ships were incredibly expensive to build, but they were a devastating demonstration of Norman military might.
Circumstances of discovery and restoration
The ship was found completely by accident when an extension was being made at the Roskilde ship museum in Denmark (!). The museum itself also houses previously discovered Viking ships, which in ancient times were sunk specifically 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 at the site of the new foundation, some of the frames of which had already been broken by piles driven into the base of the extension.
Moreover, the accidental discovery turned out to be a real treasure, consisting of nine (!) Viking ships in total. “Roskilde 6” (I hope the number “6” in the name is now clear), from which almost half of the hull was saved, became the most spectacular discovery.
The original Roskilde ships are spectacularly displayed in a hall specially built for this purpose. The cases look very durable, but they can break like fragile glass. During excavations, the damp frames of Roskilde 6 could crumble into dust if there was access to air. The ship conservation project was led by a specialist from the National Museum, Kristiane Straetkvern. Its essence was to dry 10-meter-long frames much more slowly than was done using previous methods, and then replace the lost moisture with synthetic resin, making the frame lighter but remaining strong.
It was a tense moment for the ship as the assembly and testing of the dried frames began. Each of them was inserted and secured into its carefully laser-cut and well-sized socket. The result is a bolted-on frame that resembles a giant children's construction set. But during transportation it can easily be disassembled into hundreds of parts.
Ship parts in the process of conservation 
The final stage of work: assembly of the Roskilde 6 ship on a frame 
The preserved, framed wreck of the ship "Roskilde 6" in the exhibition pavilion of the National Museum of Denmark
The team from the Roskilde Museum have grown into a group of experts in the reconstruction of ancient ships and are regularly called upon to carry out restoration work. They hope that one day they will be able to recreate a life-size replica of the huge ship Roskilde 6 and send their creation overseas - not to terrorize the population of Europe, but to leave them in awe of history.
Technical characteristics and design features
It was possible to establish that "Roskilde-6" was a longship, an incredible length - 37 m, with a hull width of 3.5 m, thus, this ship should be classified as a 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 difficult to avoid the temptation to attribute it to King Canute, who then reigned in Denmark, Norway, England and southern Sweden.
The keel, oak and T-shaped in cross-section, reaches 32 m in length, consists of a central section and two nodes at the edges, to which it was attached by means of long overlapping joints. The frames, located at a distance of 78 cm from each other, covered the first five planking chords, which turned the upper crossbars connecting them (unfortunately, not preserved) into ideal cans for rowers. Light half-frames, fitted and secured between the frames, added strength to the third and fourth chords. The latter was further strengthened by a stringer, to which the lower beams were connected. Only a fragment of the keelson, resting on the frames and secured with horizontal bends, survived. The sail size of the vessel is estimated at 200 square meters. m. Taking into account also 78 rowers with long oars, the sight of such a leviathan must have taken your breath away. A real ship from the saga, it could easily accommodate 100 warriors, and, without a doubt, additional formidability and belligerence was given to it, as always, by a superbly crafted dragon head (which, however, was not found).
Diagram of the preserved hull of the longship "Roskilde-6"
Reconstructed silhouette of the ship "Roskilde 6" in comparison with the silhouette of a person (in the bow).
There has not yet been a reconstruction of the ship "Roskilde 6", the most similar of the Viking ships found is the "Skuldelev 2" (Danish: Skuldelev 2 - Skullelev 2), which is 6 meters shorter than the "Roskilde 6". Long sea passages speak of the very good qualities of this ship. 
Characteristic
Image of warriors in a longship on the Stura Hammar stone I
The sizes of longships varied from ten to 19 meters, and later, with the development of shipbuilding, they began to reach up to 30 meters. Drakkars were used both for everyday tasks, such as trade, and for military purposes (most often for the latter), as well as for long sea voyages, which became possible due to the special design of the ship. On longships, the Vikings first sailed to the shores of Iceland, England, Greenland and North America.
Carved dragon heads mounted on the bow often made it clear what the social and financial status of the ship's owner was. Because Due to their status and capabilities, dragon heads were decorated in different ways. The dragon's head on the bow of the ship was also used to intimidate enemies. This was especially true when raiding new lands. For example, when the Vikings first set out for the Western Lands, they sailed to the shores of an as yet unknown country - it was Northumbria.
When the Viking ship sailed to the shore, the monks noticed it and were frightened by the mere sight of the ship with a dragon on its bow. They then believed that it was the devils who came down to earth to punish Christians for their sins. When soldiers saw such ships, they often abandoned their posts and fled.
Safety and success in navigation largely depended on the design and properties of the ships that the Vikings used - their strength and stability, seaworthiness, and carrying capacity. It was during the Middle Ages that shipbuilding radically changed navigation. The longships of the legendary northern Viking warriors and travelers are a prime example of these changes. The abundance of wood - oak and pine, as well as the presence of first-class iron ore, which allowed the Scandinavians to make excellent iron tools, contributed to the rapid construction of many ships. Which became the real basis of their civilization. Warships were called "drakkar" (dragon).
Many of the heads (noble Normans) had ships with purple sails embroidered with gold, and on gilded masts they had golden lanterns or weather vanes in the form of birds with outstretched wings. An important advantage of the drakkar was the keel - a longitudinal beam made of a single oak trunk, running along the entire bottom from bow to stern. The keel gave the ship strength and stability in the waves and allowed the ship to be dragged ashore without damaging the hull.
In the middle of the ship there was one mast 10-12 meters high, which could be removed and stored on deck when there was no wind. The length of the oars could be 4-6 m, the number of rowers from 14 to 20 rows or even more. The steering oar, which was turned using a short transverse handle - a tiller - was usually located at the stern on the right.
Drakkars were very well designed, which made it possible to sail along rivers and fiords. For the same reason, longships made it possible to land troops deep in enemy territory. The low sides made the drakkar barely visible against the background of sea waves, which made it possible to merge with the waves.
Some longships, discovered during archaeological excavations and carefully restored, have survived to this day. Nowadays they are exhibited in Viking ship museums in Norway and Denmark.
The sides of the drakkar were covered with shields to protect the rowers. There was nothing on deck that would weigh the ship down. A Viking merchant ship similar in design, the knorr, could even transport livestock.
Scientists know about this thanks to the most famous embroidery of the Middle Ages - the “Queen Matilda Carpet”, which immortalized the exploits of her husband, King William I the Conqueror.
On a huge strip of canvas, 68.3 m long and 50 cm wide, that has survived to this day (the “Bayenne Canvas”), 58 scenes of the conquest of England by William I the Conqueror are embroidered.
The ships on which William I transported his army from Normandy to England were also embroidered on this canvas. Striped sails and masts decorated with “golden” weather vanes are clearly visible - wind indicators, most likely made of slotted gilded tin. Then, in 1066, to transport troops and cavalry, William I assembled a fleet of more than 100 longships, on which he crossed the English Channel. Due to their design, longships were able to enter the shallowest waters, which allowed soldiers to quickly leave the ships.
Types of Drakkars
The Norwegians challenged Columbus's primacy in the discovery of America by sailing to Chicago on an exact copy of the Gokstad longship.
One of the representatives of the drakkars can be called Gokstad ship(Norwegian) Gokstadskipet) - this type of Viking ship of the 9th century was most often used as a funeral ship. Discovered in 1880 in a mound on the shores of the Norwegian Sandefjord (Vestfold province). This is a ship from Gokstad, exhibited in the Drakkar Museum, has a length of approximately 23 m and a width of 5.1 m. The sailing rig consists of one large rack sail, sewn from vertical panels. The length of the rowing oar is 5.5 m.
A beautiful and slender vessel with a steeply raised side line on both sides, it was built entirely of oak and richly ornamented. The excellent seaworthiness of this type of vessel was proven by 12 young Norwegians in 1893. They built an exact copy of the Gokstad ship, after which they crossed the North Atlantic and arrived in Chicago for the Columbus Exhibition, the ship showed an average speed of 9-10 knots, which was a very good indicator for later large sailing ships.
Oseberg boat.
Oseberg ship- an oak Viking ship (schneckkar), discovered in 1904 near Tonsberg in the Norwegian province of Vestfold. The ship was dug out of the ground and with all its contents is in the Drakkar Museum in Oslo. Judging by the data found, the ship was launched around 820 and was used in coastal waters until 834, after which it was used as a funeral ship.
The length of the ship was 21.6 meters, width 5.1 meters, the size of the mast could vary from 6 to 10 m. With a sail area of 90 m², the ship could reach speeds of up to 10 knots. 15 pairs of barrels indicates that there were about 30 oarsmen on the ship. The bow and stern were painted in the form of intertwined animals.
Although the mound was plundered back in the Middle Ages, archaeologists were able to discover in the vessel the remains of two women of high social status (young and old), fragments of oriental silk fabrics, a well-preserved wooden cart and even the bones of a peacock. This indicates a thriving trade.
Scandinavian scholars have been trying for a long time to connect these women with the Yngling dynasty. But preliminary DNA analysis indicates that the youngest of them had haplogroup U7, which is virtually absent among Europeans but is common in the Middle East, especially among Iranians.
Thun ship, exhibition in the museum
Thun ship(Norwegian) Tuneskipet) - this 10th century ship was used by the Vikings for funeral events. Discovered in 1867 by archaeologist Oluf Rygev in a boat mound at the Haugen farm in the village of Rolvsey in Tyn, Østfold, Norway. Exhibited at the Drakkar Museum, Oslo.
The ship was built around 900 AD. e., the paneling is made of oak with overlap. The vessel is partially preserved and was probably 22 meters long with eleven or twelve rows of oars. The width of the vessel is 4.35 meters, the length of the keel is 14 meters. The ship is a massive structure with frames made of unbent logs of the appropriate shape, thick beams and a solid rail.
Team
The number of people on the ship depended on the size of the ship itself. One rower sat behind each oar. The captain and his assistants also formed part of the team. When the Vikings went on campaigns on longships, it became their home, where each Viking had his own place. During military campaigns, much more people were transported on drakkars. There are cases when drakkars transported relatively large detachments (up to one and a half hundred Viking warriors), but in this case the ships most often sailed in coastal waters, and at night the detachments always landed ashore.
Construction
This is how the skin on the longships was attached.
Drakkars were built from wood of many species, among which the most important were ash, pine and oak. Shipbuilders specifically chose trees with natural curves for the keels and frames of Viking ships. As soon as the tree was cut down, they did not wait for it to dry, the tree was split in half with wedges, and then the resulting blanks were split further, exclusively along the fibers. The resulting boards could be bent without fear of them cracking. To give the boards additional flexibility, they were moistened with water and held over the fire. The most important tool was the carpenter's axe. It was believed that one was enough to build a ship, but other tools were also used: chisels, drills and others.
For cladding, boards were used, laid overlapping. Depending on the tradition of the builders, the boards were fastened with iron nails and rivets, wooden nails, or even tied together. Then the entire structure, just like now, was caulked and tarred. Thus, when moving through the water, an air gap was created, which increased stability, stability and speed of movement: the higher the speed, the more stable and smooth the ship moved.
Construction of Drakkars today
Various historical organizations have tried to recreate this or that ship using original technologies. For example, “The Seahorse of Glendalough” (dat. Havhingsten fra Glendalough), a 30-meter warship, is an almost exact copy of the ship Skuldelev II, built in 1042 in Ireland and sank at the end of the 11th century in the Danish fjord of Roskilde (the ship is named after the village of Skuldelev, not far from which in 1962 marine archaeologists found the bottom of the fjord is the remains of 5 ships). About 300 oak trunks, 7,000 iron nails and rivets, 600 liters of resin and 2 km of ropes were spent on the creation of the Sea Horse from Glendalough.
“So magnificently were these ships decorated that they blinded the beholders, and to those who looked from afar it seemed that they were made of flame and not of wood. For every time the sun shed the radiance of its rays on them, in one place weapons shone, in another hung shields sparkled. On the bows of the ships gold glowed and silver sparkled. Truly, so great was the splendor of this fleet that if its master wanted to conquer any nation, then the ships alone would have terrified the enemy even before the warriors could join the battle..."(About Knud's dakkarsII the Great, England, 1015).
Good day.
The warm summer is over. The dachas, gardens, vegetable gardens and vacations, including “vacations” from hobbies, are over. A 1/50 scale model of a Viking ship called the Drakkar from Revell became such a unique vacation for me.
A little history.
Drakkar (Drage - “dragon” and Kar - “ship”) is a long and narrow wooden Viking ship, with its bow and stern raised high.
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 along the sides there were shields for transporting the protection of the rowers. Steering 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 sea voyages, which the design of the ship allowed. In particular, the Vikings reached Iceland, Greenland and North America using longships.
Archaeologists, scientists and historians have published a lot of scientific works on Scandinavian mythology, created an even larger number of works on the life, morals and customs of the Scandinavians, but... we are not interested in this, we need ships - Drakkars. And archaeologists have them too.
The most famous ships that have survived to this day are the ships from Gokstad, Oseberg, Skullelev, Ladby, Nydam, Tune, Kvalsund. By the way, the ship proposed by Revell is most similar to the Gokstad ship.
In addition, some idea about the ships of the northerners is given by runic (picture or memorial) stones, in particular the Satur-Hammar stone from Gotland (Sweden).
In general, this topic is quite interesting, but I think those who are interested will be able to find the information they need without my tediousness, so let’s get down to business.
Box.
So, Revell offers us four sprues of brown plastic with two halves of the hull, a deck, cradle, mast, yard, oars, rudder, bow and tail figures, shields, anchor, rigging equipment and some kind of stand with a nameplate. Plastic sail, skein of thread and decal.
After studying the kit, I came to the conclusion that the only advantage of this model is the very well detailed and molded wood grain on the hull and deck. Everything else leaves much to be desired. The decal in the form of a stern Viking in a horned helmet on a sail is an obscure thing, just like the sail itself is made of plastic.
I would rather call the oars spears, because that’s what they look like. The shields would not be bad if (if only) it weren’t for the truncated imitation of leather edging and conical umbons.
Assembly.
As I said above, in my opinion, with the contours of the hull, the presented ship most resembles a ship from the Gostad. But I decided not to make the Gokstad ship, but, so to speak, a collective image, which was expressed in smoothing and giving smoother, rounded shapes to the stem and sternpost, as well as replacing figures and various little things.
The first stage, after gluing the body halves, was its “nagelization”. That is, initially I wanted to make metal rivets, but during the painting process I decided that wooden dowels looked better. This process was perhaps the most tedious and time-consuming in the construction of the model: first, holes were drilled in the hull skin boards, then the pins themselves were made and glued. The process of making them consisted of melting synthetic bristles of a brush over the candles, resulting in spherical caps on a stem. In total, about 1200 dowels were made (600 not on each side), which is barely a third of the required number, but this would have been too much, to the detriment of entertainment.
Next, a dragon's head for the stem and tail for the stern post were carved from linden. 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 the flooring myself in the bow (which is still included in the kit at the stern).
“Ducks” were made and glued onto the bulwark, of which only six were given in the set, out of the required fourteen. Replaced with wooden supports for the spar, onto which the pole for the tent was also attached, as well as the twist itself with the latter. Cradles for the oars were made.
I didn’t like the oars themselves, so I had to make new 32 oars from linden. Well, turning them while standing would not be very convenient, besides, the harsh northern robbers needed to “stash” their ill-gotten gains somewhere, so I made a corresponding number of benches-chests, plus a chest for the helmsman and a chest for the jarl.
For the ambiance, I added a few homemade little things to the deck - several barrels, a tub with a lid, a bucket, a hatchet and a bag. Plus one barrel (at the stern), a prefabricated wooden model (unfortunately, I don’t know the manufacturer).
Converted to a wooden steering wheel and its mount. The mast and yard were also replaced with wooden ones, carved from poplar. Anchor from Amati.
The last part taken from the kit were shields, of which the manufacturer generously provided 64. Perhaps this is logical - there could be several shifts of oarsmen on board during a combat voyage, but such a number of shields on the sides of the model, in my opinion, is overkill.
And again, as I wrote above, I did not like the cone-shaped umbos, which were mercilessly cut off and replaced with brass hemispheres. The leather edging on the front side is made well, but on the back it is not classy, to say the least - it has gone downhill.
The sail was naturally replaced with a fabric 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, so I purchased a coarser fabric.
There are still debates about 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 images of Viking ships on rune stones, where a diamond-shaped pattern is visible, which consisted of sails sewn onto the canvas (to strengthen it) with intersecting strips of leather. I like this theory better than the red and white striped ones. The sewn stripes would have looked tacky on the model and I was content with simple stitching, but I was too clever with tucking the edges in two layers - it turned out massive and not even, one would have been enough, but “after a fight, they don’t wave their fists.”
The final touch was installing the rigging. In general, the rigging was quite primitive: forestay, fordun (shrouds), halyard (archstay). For control: brace, sprout and sheet.
Coloring.
If we were to make a ship of one of the most famous sea robbers, then make it brutal, and therefore dark and gloomy.
The body was painted with a dirty brown color selected “by eye”, using which I used a dry brush to highlight the wood texture in two passes. Tempera - natural sienna and light ocher. To give the effect of dark wood, everything was covered with bitumen varnish with a solvent in a 1:1 ratio.
The deck is painted sand color, stained with Tamiya dark brown stain, and highlighted with the same natural sienna and light ocher.
The wooden parts were painted with bitumen varnish.
Stand.
The stand is made of pine board brushed with brushes and coated with walnut varnish. Holder figures - “drip tips for vipers”: D (for those not in the know - a drip tip mouthpiece for electronic cigarettes), I saw and purchased it by chance in the appropriate store.
I apologize in advance for possible errors in specific terminology (I've 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 forestay, halyard (archstay) and fordun (shrouds) is not fully reproduced. Secondly, the anchor rod is fixed parallel, and not perpendicular to the horns. It seems that everything, I repented :)
In short, yes, it was small, but it was there. Its presence is clearly visible on the ship exhibits that archaeologists managed to obtain. More on this later in the article.
First, remember that there are at least 2 types of Viking ships, which are quite different: . The main differences are that the first one was created so that the ship would sit higher (better maneuverability in shallow water) and the ship itself would be lighter and faster. Accordingly, there is a total saving of space. The second (knorr) was created for high 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 full-length below-deck space, as everyone imagines. In the knorrs the ship's landing was deep, the sides were higher. All this is 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 large cargo, including animals. The latter still had to be fed somehow and monitored during the journey. There was indeed a lot of protected space under the two halves of the deck. A real hold. But, naturally, not for living. Even with such a height from the bottom of the ship to the deck, it is difficult to imagine how people would be accommodated there.
Universal ships, carvee
But the situation with the space below the deck of a warship is different. First, let's look at the cross section of a universal Viking ship using the example of a ship from Gokstad:
There is very little of it. In the photographs of the replica of this 22-meter long boat, you can see with your own eyes the scarcity of space.
In fact, this space would not exist if it were not for the need to make the deck level due to the protruding beams - beams that transversely strengthen the ship.
Pay attention to another feature - this space could be used for laying ballast. Also, the hold had to be accessible for disassembly in order to bail out the water that inevitably accumulated in rough weather. And, perhaps, it was not scooped out until it reached the deck level or until the boat docked.
Based on all this, it is difficult to imagine that such a hold was seriously considered for storing anything. Which is the direct responsibility of the hold. But, nevertheless, some simple, not bulky cargo could be placed there. For example, shields, gear. At the same time, taking into account that the hold was not filled with water.
Here is another replica of the Gokstad ship, built in Norway in 1892-1893. It is now stored in Chicago, USA. The photographs clearly show the volume of space:
This is what is written on the website of the museum where the Gokstad boat is kept:
The deck consists of planks of pine that could be lifted so that the crew could easily bale out of water if necessary. This also provided storage capacity for a little cargo.
The deck is made of pine planks, which could be raised to allow the crew to easily bail out water if necessary. Thanks to this, there was access to space for small cargo.
The Gokstad ship is a universal ship (karvi), i.e. it was used both as a combat vehicle and for transporting cargo (on deck). This type of boat was common until the beginning of the 11th century, when a clear division appeared into merchant ships and combat ships - longships(longskips) or longships(drakens, dragons).
Drakkars
Cross section longship, drakkar will indicate that space also exists, but has a different shape. 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 cross-section of the Skuldelev 2 deck above. The space below the deck gains in height, but loses in width. Don't forget about ballast and water accumulation.
Results
As a result, if we consider viking longships- yes, there was a hold. It could be used to store some small items, but nothing more.
Despite the inconvenient shape, the lack of full access to the entire space, and flooding with water, this type of hold is still a very good way to save space on the deck. In cases where nothing should interfere, to cope with the elements in stormy weather or for large spaces, for mobility in combat during boarding or side-to-side combat.
Drakkar (Norwegian Drakkar, from the Old Norse Drage - “dragon” and Kar - “ship”, literally “dragon ship”) is a wooden Viking ship, long and narrow, with a highly curved bow and stern. Viking ships were designed for a variety of purposes and were not all the same size or type. The three most famous and best preserved ships to this day were found in Norwegian burial mounds near the Oslofjord - in Gokstad, Oseberg and Thun. Why am I leading this conversation? And besides, the reconstruction of the drakkar from Useberg was carried out in Riga! Here is photographic evidence of this:
And information from the Ministry of Health of the press:
The project manager for the launch of the vessel, Juris Erts, said that Osa was made according to thousand-year-old drawings 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 the Kubuks company with the support of Norwegian entrepreneur Per Bjorkum and Latvian artisans. Other countries also helped financially - the amount of investment cannot be calculated, because the ship turned out to be unique. The idea to build a Viking ship arose in early 1990; work on the drawings began only in 2000. Practical work took place in 2007.
http://www.ves.lv/article/81102
The unofficial launch of the drakkar took place in early May, as described by an eyewitness to this event:
On the morning of May 9, Victory Day, Lenya called me and invited me to witness a solemn event - the launching of the first longship built in Latvia. I quickly got ready and came, especially since place X is located next to the house.
The 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 prototype was the famous tomb ship from Oseberg, 9th century. I’ll say right away that during construction all authentic technologies were not fully observed, since the ship was not initially planned as a complete reconstruction. The work was carried out over two years. The master is Juris Erts, an experienced carpenter and yachtsman. For now 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 present to your attention my photo report interspersed with video.
http://ms-reenactor.livejournal.com/153724.html
And here is the official descent:
On Saturday, May 23, a Viking ship, created according to thousand-year-old drawings, was lowered onto the main river of Latvia, 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 Viking ship (longship) discovered in 1904 near Tonsberg in the Norwegian province of Vestfold. The boat and its contents were recovered from the ground and are now on display at the Longship Museum in Oslo. Judging by dendrochronological data, this ancient ship was launched ca. 820 and until 834 it was used in coastal navigation, after which it was used as a funeral ship.
The length of the ship is 22 meters, width 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 rowlocks indicate that the ship was propelled by 30 oarsmen. The bow and stern of the ship are decorated with intricate carvings in the form of intertwined animals, as well as triangles connected into a valknut.
The construction of the world's first Latvian Viking ship, which was already sailing the waters of the Daugava on May 23, has been carried out by the Kubuks company since 2007.
As the LNT television company reports, 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 launch, on Friday, May 22, my husband, at my request, found the drakkar’s parking place 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 replica of the boat in front of the Presidential Palace so that everyone interested will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the intricacies of shipbuilding by the ancient Vikings.
In June, an analogue of the Osa boat on the Baltic Sea will set off from Riga to Ventspils, and then through the island of Gotland to Sweden.
http://rus.delfi.lv/news/daily/latvia/article.php?id=24410117
And now a 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 is the luxurious splendor of the ship discovered in 1903 in Oseberg. In general, the designs of these two ships are similar; The ship from Ouseberg is only slightly shorter, it has 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 even reach 1 meter. Rising from the long, low sides, the bow and stern soar high above the water, and the soaring curve of the bow ends in a spiral - a curved snake. Bands of rich carving with a pattern of undulating scrolls 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. Anyone standing on the deck facing the bow could see another panel with carvings - more grotesque and even playful in style, where small half-human figures with bulging eyes and tadpole bodies climbed on top of each other.
However, no matter how richly decorated the ship from Ouseberg was, it was never intended to sail on the open sea. Its draft is too low, its keel is thin, and there are no gates in the oarlocks; there are weak spots at the stern and in the hull itself due to the grooves in the planking, and almost all the deck boards are nailed, so that if necessary it would not even be possible to bail out water. Such a ship was only suitable for the calm waters of an enclosed fjord; Apparently, it was used for pleasure 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 entered the mound. Its keel is almost in disrepair; the block holding the mast in place had broken at some point 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 was missing some of its rigging, so it had to be hastily outfitted to make it worthy of its latest task.
The ships also had tents - frames for them were found both in Gokstad and Oseberg. The frames were made of ash, and on the boards that formed the “ridges” above the tent, animal heads were carved, which protruded 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 the animals from the tent; Obviously, the tent and beds were a set.
The tents were very spacious: the tent from Ouseberg was 5.18 meters long, 4.38 meters wide and 3.43 meters high, while the other was only slightly smaller and its height was 2.63 meters. Such tents were sometimes pitched on the deck when the ship was moored, but more often when traveling along the coast, people went ashore each evening and pitched a tent on the ground. Those who did not have beds used leather sleeping bags, often one between two people, for warmth.
A night on the shore provided an opportunity to do some cooking. Among the kitchen utensils found on the ship from Useberg are two iron cauldrons with chains and hooks for hanging, spoons, knives, hatchets, wooden bowls, barrels and plates, and a hand mill for grinding grain; on two boards lay the carcass of an ox.
Carved pillars ending in the heads of gaping-mouthed animals may once have adorned small ships and are thought to predate the Viking Age; other similar pillars were found in the burial chamber on board the ship from Ouseberg, although we do not know what item they were part of. This snake head is from the Oseberg ship itself, and it was a permanent part of its hull, but from other sources we know that the figures on the bows of the ships could be removable.
http://www.bibliotekar.ru/vikingi/4.htm
And a few quotes about longships in general.
Of course, the Vikings would not have gained their gloomy glory if they had not possessed the best ships of that time. The hulls of their “sea dragons” were perfectly adapted to sailing in the choppy northern seas: low sides, gracefully upturned bow and stern; on the stern side there is a stationary steering oar; painted with red or blue stripes or checks, rough canvas sails on the mast were installed in the center of the spacious deck. The same type of merchant and military ships, much more powerful, being inferior in size to the Greek and Roman ones, were significantly superior to them in maneuverability and speed. Time really helped to evaluate their superiority. At the end of the 19th century, archaeologists found a well-preserved 32-oared dragon in a burial mound in southern Norway. Having built its exact copy and tested it in ocean waters, experts came to the conclusion: 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 during the voyage 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 on its nose was a longship - the dragon's head symbolized the high status of the ship's owner, 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 bow of the drakkar showed a shield, the inside of which was painted white. Drakkars were propelled by oars and a simple sail. Steering 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 sea voyages, which the design of the ship allowed. In particular, the Vikings reached Iceland, Greenland and North America using longships.
Drakkars are large analogues of another type of Viking ship - 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 driven by a square sail, had 25-30 pairs of oars and on the open sea could reach a speed of 15-20 knots.
Viking fleet: ship bows in Norwegian rock art:
Drakkars, due to their shallow draft, were convenient for moving along rivers. For the same reason, longships were often also used for sudden landing of troops in the attacked territory. The low sides made the drakkar poorly distinguishable against the background of sea waves, which made it possible to maintain camouflage until the last moment.
A number of longships 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 keels and frames. After felling, the tree was cut in half, and then one board was cut from each half. To maintain strength and elasticity, the Vikings hewed boards exclusively along the grain, and used various types of axes as tools. The resulting boards could be bent up to 40 degrees without causing deformation. For side cladding, oak boards were taken and overlapped. The boards were fastened with iron nails and rivets. Then the entire structure was impregnated with pine resin. In this way, when moving through the water, an air gap was created - this increased stability, stability and speed of movement: the higher the speed, the more stable and smooth the boat moved.
Various historical organizations have tried to recreate this ship using original technologies. "The Seahorse of Glendalough" (Havhingsten fra Glendalough) a 30-meter ship, an almost exact copy of the Viking ship Skuldelev-2 (named after the village of Skuldelev in which marine archaeologists found 5 ships in 1962) built in 1042 in Ireland and sank at the end XI century in the Roskilde fjord. It took about 300 oak trunks, 7,000 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 their size, drakkars (“dragons”) or auger (“snake”). For example, two Viking ships found in Norway dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries, respectively, have a length of about 23 m; one 15, the other 16 pairs of oars, clinker (edge on edge) plating 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 determined the minimum size of a combat vessel. The very first ships were designed for 40–80 people each, and a large keel ship of the 11th century. could accommodate several hundred people. Such large combat units exceeded 46 meters in length.
Old Norse sagas tell that stylized images of mythical dragons and snakes were a favorite decoration on the prows of Viking ships. The sight of monsters growing in the sea was supposed to terrify enemies and, undoubtedly, instill panic in the peaceful coastal villages of other countries.
The heads of dragons were sometimes covered with gold, and carved overlays 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 writhing tail of a dragon. When sailing in the waters of Scandinavia, these decorations were usually covered or removed so as not to frighten their wives, children, old people, as well as good spirits who patronized the sailors. Often, when approaching a port, shields were hung in a row on the sides of ships, but this was not allowed on the open sea.
In addition to the 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 had no decorations. The drakkar of the Norman king William the Conqueror, who carried out a conquest of England in 1066, carried a gilded figure of a lion on the stem, and on the sternpost a wooden statue of a leader blowing a war horn, with a banner in the other hand.
The attitude of the Vikings towards their ships is evidenced by their sonorous names, sung in ancient sagas: “Sea Serpent”, “Raven of the Whirlwind”, “Lion of the Waves”, “Sea Deer”, “Horse of the Wind”, “Sleigh of the Lord of the Seas”. And the longships 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. Thanks to the absence of superstructures and the semi-rigid hull design, when the frames were connected to the skin with flexible vines, the drakkar had enviable lightness, agility and excellent stability. According to the captain of the Viking, Magnus Anderson, in a fresh wind, the hull of the longship, under the influence of the sail, rose half a foot above the water, which reduced the friction surface and made it possible to reach a speed of 10-12 knots. Thus, the high seaworthiness of Viking ships was once again confirmed.
The bow and stern of the boat are identical, which made it possible to row in any direction without turning around. The boats had a keel to which the frames were attached, and the frames were attached to the plating. The rudder was a large oar attached to the side of the sternpost. Viking boats had up to 32 oars on each side.
Ships were often built from planks laid in overlapping rows and held together by curved frames. Above the waterline, most of the warships were brightly painted.
Viking ships moved with the help of sails and oars. The simple sail, made from rough canvas, was often painted with stripes and checkered patterns. The mast could be shortened and even removed altogether. With the help of skillful devices, the captain could steer 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 on display in museums in Scandinavian countries. One of the most famous, discovered in 1880 in Gokstad (Norway), dates back to approximately 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, and it had 32 shields. In some places, elegant carved decorations have been preserved.
http://copypast.ru/2008/09/30/vikingi_i_ikh_drakkary.html
The 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 Gokstad ship) was found 24 m long, 5.1 m wide. The sailing rig consisted of one large rack sail sewn from vertical panels The mast had a height of 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 the figure shows only ten oar holes. The cross on the mast square, shown in the above figure, is also puzzling. In the 9th century. Almost all Vikings, without exception, were consistent, convinced pagans. It remains to be assumed that the depicted cross has nothing to do with Christian symbolism.
This beautiful and slender vessel with a steeply raised side line at both ends is built entirely of oak and richly ornamented. The silhouette of a Scandinavian vessel is one of a kind and has not only aesthetic advantages. The exceptional seaworthiness of this type of vessel was practically proven 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 combat rowing ships, it 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 navigation:
Danish historical reconstruction enthusiasts will embark on a sea voyage on July 1, 2007, aboard the largest replica of a Viking longship.
The 30-meter long longship "Havhingsten fra Glendalough" ("Horse of the Sea from Glendalough") is modeled after an 11th-century Viking ship found in Roskilde, Denmark in 1962, but built in the Irish town of Glendalough.
http://www.lenta.ru/news/2007/05/28/viking/
