The Longship: Viking High-Tech

The one technological achievement that led the Vikings to become major players in history was the longship, or drakkar, which began to appear in the 9th century.

It was the Vikings greatest symbol, striking fear into the hearts of those who saw it approaching. As portrayed in numerous movies, a king or chieftain was not infrequently cremated in his longship along with his arms and other valued possessions. If buried in the ground, perhaps due to longships being in short supply at the time, a pattern of stones surrounding the nobleman's body in the shape of a longship would be provided.

Stats

The sturdy, light, flexible, shallow draft longship was generally 85 feet in length or more and seeing its red or red and white crosshatch sails on the horizon would send a shiver down the backs of everyone in the community.

The longship gave a technological edge to the raiders, motivated by overpopulation and lack of resources or farmland in their Scandinavian homeland. Besides speed and shallow draft, the tapered bow and stern allowed change of direction with a minimum of effort. The longship could maneuver in water less than three fet deep and could be portaged.

Terror ruled when the dragonship was seen. The dragon and snake head bowsprit longships usually bore gave it the dragonship nickname, although these were usually removed at sea to prevent their loss, not only expensive to replace, but loss being a bad omen.

The longship allowed the Norse raiders or pirates to strike Scotland, England, Ireland, France, wherever they chose.

Paying for It

The longship was owned by whoever had the money to get it built. A community might own its own longship which could be drafted by the king during war. Aristocrats could, of course, afford their own longships and build even larger, if they wished.

Crew

It employed 20 to 30 oarsmen who doubled as warriors. They rowed at about five knots when the water was calm, and turned to sails when the wind allowed. The longship could average 12 knots with a full wind.

Overlapping oak planks were nailed to interior support ribbing. The hull was caulked to prevent leaking. The keel ran the full length of the dragonship and was made from a single piece of oak, lending stability. There were no sleeping quarters. Vikings slept on the solid main deck keeping their personal items in the sea chests they used for rowing seats.

The longship enabled the Norse to master their craft. They were skilled navigators and developed sighting instruments that were state-of-the-art for the time.

Norse Reach

The Norse prided themselves on their toughness, but they were aren't all Vikings. Following the raiders were settlers and tradesmen who established footholds in the countries their countrymen formerly raided. In northern France, they settled in such numbers they established the present-day province of Normandy, which refers to their Norse or Northmen ancestors. Of course, explorers and settlers also used the longship to move West to Iceland, Greenland, and continental North America.

There were variations on the longship theme, with smaller versions such as the sneakke, as well as a cargo carrying variety. This gave them added flexibility as they extended their range.

Eventually, as with all technology, the longship was left behind by the late 14th century when better ship designs were adopted, and with that change, so went the Norse edge.