The Viking Long-Ship: The Key To The Vikings

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Viking long-ships were lean, speedy, lightweight ships that could easily cut through the most vicious waves that the ocean could throw at them. The Norse people were separated from mainland Europe by the North Sea. As their nation advanced they built longships and started exploring the ocean. “The Viking longboat was the key to the Vikings success in traveling.” (Legends and Chronicles, Paragraph 14). This made the long-ship a very valuable and important asset to the Vikings. The longships were so fast and nimble, they were great for transportation of soldiers and merchandise.At the time, no other civilization had been able to achieve such an amazing naval feat. this gave the Vikings a great advantage over medieval combat, political affairs,…show more content…
This made having an apprentice very important. The duty of an apprentice would be to carry on the legacy of their teacher. If a ship builder had no apprentice, their way of making the ships would be lost in history. Though many kinds of woods were used in the art of long-ship building, the Vikings often leaned towards Oak wood. “Oak trees were mostly used because their natural branching structure provided curves to create streamlined keels,” (The Viking Museum, Paragraph 3). On top of having a favorable branching structure, Oak wood is also linked to Odin in Norse mythology. Having the wood of their ship associated with the highest Norse god would have made them feel very proud, protected, and possibly blessed. After the builders had selected a tree, they would split it into narrow planks. Instead of using a saw to split the wood, they would use their axes. The Vikings would firmly attach the planks to the sides of the keel by employing strong iron nails as a fastener. Unlike many of the ships in that age, the Vikings would use the “clinker” method, . The Viking’s unconventional “clinker” method included overlapping the planks one after another to create a smooth exterior for the ship. One clever way of preventing leaks was, to dip a wool string in tar and force it “between the planks to prevent leaks.” After securing a good exterior and leak-proof sides, the Vikings would then attach floor boards and rowing benches to the
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