The size of longships varied, for they were measured according to the number of rowing places; for example, a thirteen venture with thirteen benches on each side, a total of twenty-six, was the smallest ship that was used for war. Longships had small raised decks at the bow and stern, and a rough deck made of loose planks that could be lifted to facilitate bailing, The main deck area could also be covered with a large awning over a collapsible light timber framework. In addition, the sail and mast could be easily raised and lowered, which was a feature that was particularly useful during ship-to-ship sea battles.
These ships were immune to the possibility of being becalmed and could manage even the most difficult conditions of wind and current. They were the
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Its lack of height above the water led to the ultimate failure of the Viking ship as a fighting vessel. The Vikings had little success in the Mediterranean against galleys, with their doubled or tripled banks of oars. And in Northern waters, the Scandinavians began to lose their advantage in the eleventh and twelfth centuries to larger and sturdier vessels, namely cogs and hulks, that were developed by European shipwrights. In 1304, the whole Danish fleet, nearly 1,100 ships, was converted into cogs. In addition to this detriment, the Vikings ultimately were too individualistic to be organized into effective national powers. In spite of this, the settlements in Greenland have “stubbornly persevered to the present day.”
The Viking Era begins around 800 A.D., a bit earlier, and ends slowly between the years 1000 and 1066 A.D. In 1066, the Norwegian King Harald Hardrada, whom I discussed earlier, attempted to regain the English throne, which a Viking ancestor had briefly occupied, and was defeated by the Saxon King of England, Harold II. Thenceforth, the Vikings never again threatened
... aircrafts in their time. Likewise they also sunk a German destroyer and permanently put a German torpedo boat out of action due to damages.
Britain in the 800’s was much different then than it is now. The people of Denmark, called Danes or Vikings, attacked Britain and started a war between the two countries. Britain was helpless at the time because of their lack of leadership from their king. When King Alfred came to power, Britain turned the war around and found a king worthy of the title. Because of King Alfred’s reign, Britain was shaped to be what it is today.
Known for being one of the newest and largest ships at the time, headed high speed through
The Great Heathen Army was the name of a coalition of Norse armies from the Scandinavian region; Denmark, Norway, and possibly also Sweden in approximately 865CE, and ending in approximately 875CE with the defeat of the Viking army by King Alfred ‘The Great’ of Wessex. There were multiple possible motivations for this invasion, including (but not limited to): revenge for the death of legendary Ragnarr Lodbok, the expansion of Norse control into the British Isles, and the need for fresher lands for agriculture. There are two main sources that tell us about the Great Heathen Invasion; The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle by various authors and Life of King Alfred by Asser, which will be evaluated to determine their reliability as primary sources for the
The carrack, or nao, was a large, multi-decked ship that used a combination of square and lateen sails to ensure a balance of power and maneuverability. The carrack became the premiere ship of early exploration and trade as it was able to carry up to 1,000 tons(Johnston) and was capable of withstanding the lengthiest voyages. The premiere ships of the voyages of Columbus, De Gama, and Magellan were all carracks.
The other skill that Vikings excelled at was the skill of navigation. Their longships were the cutting–edge technology at the time, and their ingenious sun-compass, which worked somewhat like a sundial, allowed them to sail to their destination with precision. The longships were usually made with oak boards stripped from trees with thin ropes soaked in pitch trapped between joints to act as a flexible, waterproof membrane. These ships, combined with their streamlines design, are very fast and seaworthy and would flex out of places when a sturdier ship would shatter. The sun compass is also very useful because it is the only directional tool at the time. It uses a shadow cast by a small pin in the middle of a round plate with bearings to give the direction. This tool allowed them to sail on open seas without landmarks for directions, a great advantage. This tool allowed them to sail on open seas without landmarks for directions, a great advantage.
...nly able to think about themselves not about what is best for the team. Shackleton was able to disregard selfish thoughts and with a little luck, good leadership, and strategic thinking his team was led to rescue.
This made a change from dugouts to the use of birch bark. Birch Bark canoes started in the 1800’s in Canada. Various people such as, Native Americans, missionaries, and trappers, would use this type of canoe for travel through the North American waterways (Winkler). The bark itself would be strong enough to carry large loads that normally dugouts could not hold, as well as, be light enough to be carried across land and used again. Continuing, the canoe was completely waterproof, causing a smooth flowing canoe, therefore, the people paddling would not have to worry about their items getting wet when being transported. These canoes could also be fixed easily, because of the material being used was so available, therefore, even if this canoe broke a little, it can be prepared fast and easy. Birch bark canoes started a new form of transportation in the way that they could run all sorts of water flows. From rapids to slow moving backwaters, this canoe could adapt it’s function. When European explorers came over, they immediately found an interest to the birch bark canoes and decided to bring them back over to Europe. Expansion of the birch bark canoe, soon developed all over the world. Transportation, was in fact, made easier through the use of the birch bark canoe, due to it’s easy accessibility and it being
The Vikings began as a vast number of Scandinavians leaving their homelands seeking for fortunes elsewhere. Known for their raids, the Vikings terrorized the coasts of Europe between 800 and 1050 CE. The Viking longship proved to have ultimate operational flexibility from the strongly built overlapping planks that carried the structural load of the hull. Most of the their settlements were located in England and Normandy. However, some of the Viking traders penetrated the heartland of Russia by following the great rivers. The Scandinavian culture during this period was highly intriguing from their burial customs to the warfare and raids. Leif Eriksson also plays a part in the colonization Iceland and Greenland and the exploration of the North
When the Vikings reached the New World, they called the native inhabitants (American Indians or Native Americans), “Skræling.” There has been much debate as to what exactly this word or label meant. Some translate it as “skin wearers,” which may be true as to how they described them, being the Norse generally wore woolen or linen clothing and North American Natives generally wore animal skins. But there was one additional thing puzzling about the Norse and the Skræling. The Viking explorers weren't curious or baffled by these new people. As if, they'd come into contact with people like this before and their way of life. 500 years later, when other Europeans had come to the New World (The Americas), they were ultimately curious of these strange new people and their ways that they had never seen before. But not the Norse, the Norse hint that they have come into regular contact with people like this on a fairly regular basis.
Typically, the image of a Viking is a barbaric, bearded man plundering and destroying a neighboring village. This is actually the stereotypical viewpoint. In actuality, Vikings, have a very different image. For example, Vikings did not wear furry boots or furry armor, they did not have horned helmets, they invaded Britain, and they also were the first to discover America! They were also experts in nautical technology, crafts, trading, warfare and many other skills (Jonsson 1). With all of these traits, the Vikings seem like an unstoppable force in the European continent. But, who were the Vikings? The Vikings were actually venturesome seafarers. This means that they were travelers who were constantly exploring and looking for new areas of land. There roots can be traced all the way back to 6000 B.C. were nomadic men traveled in primitive crafts up the Denmark coast. Fast forward two millennia and these nomadic people have established permanent homes, but still using the boat for food and travel. As stated before, they were not just raiders, although they did do this frequently, but they were actually expert traders, trading all around the world. It wasn’t until around 793 A.D. that a Viking explosion took place in northern Europe (Jonsson 2). Raids began to take place on neighboring villages and their places of worship. To some this is the only type of knowledge they have about Vikings. However, their culture was something to be admired. Trading, religion, and everyday life are all important parts of a Viking culture.
Around A.D. 800 to the 11th century, a vast number of Scandinavians left their homelands to seek their fortunes elsewhere. These warriors were known mostly as Vikings or Norsemen Vikings. The name Viking came from the Scandinavians themselves, from the Old Norse word "vik" (bay or creek) which formed the root of "vikingr" (pirate). The vikings expanded from their original homeland in Scandinavia and settled down in some islands in the west which included Faeroe and Iceland. Vikings whose activities are best known come from the areas now known as Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The reasoning for the vikings venturing out and exploring is not precisely known. It may have have been due to it was due to overpopulation of their homeland, but the Vikings were looking for riches, not land (Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 2.)
The beginning of the ninth century AD to the eleventh was known as the “Viking age”; during this time Iceland was settled by Scandinavians and CeltsCeltics. Some of the settlers were Christian while most were Pagan; together they created a culture
In ancient marine times people built boats out of bamboo, bundles of reeds, air filled animal skins and more. One of the first boats was made out of sticks and put together with sewn hides. Also at the time then didn’t have oars invented yet so people would use their hands to make the boat move. And to move the rafts they would push poles against the bottom of the rivers or lakes. Then they came out with sails which would replace the action of the humans and sail boats could take on longer trips and heavier loads rather than just the boats make out of sticks. Then they came out with the Viking long ships, those would be about 30 meters long made out of overlapping planks of oak wood, held together by iron rivets. Each ship would carry about 60 oarsmen who rowed the ship. Next they came out with the Chinese junks which were constructed out of softwood and had a horse shaped stern. And their sails weren’t like most, instead of squares they were more built pointed on the top and squared at the bottom. Then they had the three and four masted sailing ships which were in service for several centuries and these wooden ships were used for battling. Then we came out with the clipper ships which were fast sailing ships with long slim hulls and tall masts. Next they came out with the steamships so instead of sails and oars to power it, it was combined with wind and wind power. Then they had the ocean going liners which were driven by a propeller and made of iron. And they came out with the steam driven boats which had paddles on the side of them. Next the sailing ships were converted to diesel power so that they would use oil instead of steam. ...
The history of warships goes back in history to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Their ships were called galleys. The galleys were powered by oarsmen. The galley had a sharp point in the front for ramming other ships. In the A. D. 700's, the Vikings invented the long ship. It weighed less than the galley and was stronger and more seaworthy. The Viking's controlled the seas until the 1000's. By the 1500's most warships carried guns, and later became heavily armed ships.