Fluther: Shipwright historians: why were ancient viking ships designed so they were ...

Shipwright historians: why were ancient viking ships designed so they were barely taller than the waterline?

Asked by gorillapaws (30526

) August 8th, 2023
22 responses
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My parents are on vacation in Norway and my mom just sent me a cool picture of an authentic viking ship in a museum. I was shocked how low to the water they are (basically like canoes). (Another angle)These things crossed some pretty rough seas, so how were they not constantly taking on water in the swells and sinking? It just seems like a bizarre design (but obviously there’s likely a good explanation that’s eluding me).

Another aspect that surprised me was that there doesn’t look like there’s much room for cargo. It’s just benches for dudes to row, so where did they stash all of the loot from their pillaging on the way home?

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Topics: history, vikings, Ancient ship design

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Answers

I’m no shipwright or historian. I was also surprised when I saw my first longship. I do know there were different types of longships built for different purposes. The Knarr, for instance, could carry over 20 tons.

The ones built for war were smaller and made for speed.

Caravanfan (13532

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@Caravanfan “I’m no shipwright…”

Not YET at least.

I think the Knarr was more of my mental model for Viking longboats. Perhaps the ones in the museum my parents visited were mostly limited to moving between fjords that were well-sheltered from the rougher waters of the North Sea perhaps for fighting between nearby clans. I can’t imagine getting soaking wet in those things during a Norwegian winter with barely any daylight. That would be pretty miserable.

gorillapaws (30526

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@gorillapaws OTOH, Polynesians settled the Pacific islands from New Zealand to Hawaii using just their canoes.

Caravanfan (13532

)“Great Answer” (6

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I am no shipwright either, but having a boat close to the water line lowers the center of gravity, which would make it more stable.

LostInParadise (31921

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I would think being lower to the water line would give you the ability to go faster but taking on water does seem like it would be a concern. Perhaps they had people who were permanent bailers on board.

janbb (62882

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I watched a bit of the show Vikings, and it happened to be about the ship building and exploring other lands. If I remember correctly, it was so they could navigate in shallow water and also for speed. They bottoms only sat about 3 feet in the water. These particular ships may have been used closer to land rather than out on the high seas. ¯\(ツ)/¯

smudges (10750

)“Great Answer” (5

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The ship’s shallow draft allowed navigation in waters only one meter deep and permitted beach landings, while its light weight enabled it to be carried over portages.

I am currently in Penobscot Bay sailing where Vikings have been proven to visit. Low and rocky areas required this.

Forever_Free (8574

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Shipwright here.~

The Vikes (in raiding parties) used these boats for attacking lucrative places/villages along riverside. Most riverside villages had defensive positions to stop attackers from land, but little along the water, as it was not considered a likely place for a large enough force to cause concern to come from. Vikes would use these shallow boats to battle current, and shallower conditions.
Prior to the Vikes, most people never expected that a realistic threat could come in certain tides, or navigate the shallower, more risky waters to surprise them.
An attacker on land would usually be detected more quickly, than ones coming off of the water. Trading posts would have been used to seeing lots of boat traffic, and think nothing of it.
Especially since most Trading posts, or coastal villages were likely under the protection of respected larger kingdoms.

As mentioned, the Vikes used many different types of ship designs. As do modern Navies…

MrGrimm888 (19018

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Thanks for all of the excellent answers!

gorillapaws (30526

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Just a further thought I know life boats often have slits in the sides so that water from waves can flow out. I’ve never seen them on Viking boats but I wonder if some of the ocean going ones might have had that.

janbb (62882

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oooh! I was looking something up relative to @janbb‘s comment above, and came across this cool website with lots of good info about the ships: https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/all-about-the-viking-ship/the-hull-of-the-ship/oar-locks/

Here’s another one: http://www.worldtreeproject.org/exhibits/show/ships/shipfeatures

smudges (10750

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@smudges That site is fascinating! This video of a reconstructed Viking ship under sail gives you a picture of how it does in rough water.

https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/viking-ships-on-voyages

The answer seems to be that different Viking ships were designed for different types of voyages and that the Vikings were pretty tough guys!

janbb (62882

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@gorillapaws What i learned from watching several documentaries on the subject of Viking exploration and ships/shipbuilding was that they did their exploring in the summer time. I think the winter time was for them to be holed up (in the dark as the sun wasn’t rising in the winter in Norway) and close to home in the dark and cold. I’m not a ship expert but I am into history.

jca2 (16277

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^The Vikes were very interesting people…

MrGrimm888 (19018

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^^ Who ever called them “the Vikes”?

janbb (62882

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^^ only Minnesotans call them Vikes.

Forever_Free (8574

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^Correct. It’s my NFL obsession bleeding into my writing.
A lifelong Raiders fan, I still loved the Vikes, when they Moss, Carter, Culpepper, Randall etc…
Moss lost my love, when he became a “Pat.”..

MrGrimm888 (19018

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^^ Pat’s fan during that era. Born a Vikes fan. 40 for 60!

Forever_Free (8574

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^Pat’s fan? Oh man. You think you know someone…~

MrGrimm888 (19018

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^^ Living in New England gets you fully sucked into their sports teams.
Still waiting for a Vikes SB win. Maybe my next life.