Real Viking Ship Completes North Atlantic Crossing

[sailorman]

http://gcaptain.com/ship-photos-of-the-day-real-viking-ship-completes-north-atlantic-crossing/

 

[[70521]]

Great to hear that old technology still works!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

The first time this was done in modern times was in 1893 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_(ship)) So it's hardly news that a Viking ship can cross the Atlantic!

 

[sarabande]

if you are interested in historical re-enactment of sailing epics, try Tim Severin's books:

The Brendan Voyage
The Sindbad Voyage
The Jason Voyage
The Ulysses Voyage


All of which are fascinating stories of demanding voyages using historically accurate replicas.

 

[sailorman]

The first time this was done in modern times was in 1893 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_(ship)) So it's hardly news that a Viking ship can cross the Atlantic!

So sorry i posted it

 

[steve350]

Thanks Sailorman, Some beautiful and evocative pictures on the link you provided. Especially the 2nd last shot of the dragon-head prow surging on. Marvellous.

 

[Uricanejack]

Thanks
I found it interesting

 

[AntarcticPilot]

So sorry i posted it

No criticism of your post was intended - merely a heads up that it wasn't a first, which people might not have been aware of.

 

[Sybarite]

There is a theory that the Vikings discovered so much because the long ships were positively dangerous in cross seas and so had to keep going in straight lines...

 

[knuterikt]

There is a theory that the Vikings discovered so much because the long ships were positively dangerous in cross seas and so had to keep going in straight lines...

who invented that theory..

 

[AntarcticPilot]

who invented that theory..

Which is disproved by ample experience; there have been enough ocean crossings by long-ship replicas for us to be sure they were sea-worthy and capable craft. But of course, the Vikings probably didn't usually cross oceans in long-ships; these were war-craft propelled mainly by oar. The ocean-crossers were the knarr and similar cargo-carrying craft, which were primarily propelled by sail. The Saga Siglar (which did a circumnavigation) was a replica of such a craft (https://translate.google.co.uk/tran....org/wiki/%C2%ABSaga_Siglar%C2%BB&prev=search - translation from Norwegian, but it isn't bad). The Skuldelev ships (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skuldelev_ships) provide us with a cross-section of the ship-types used by Vikings; long-ships weren't the only ones by a long way, but of course, as war-ships they were the ones that got the good press in sagas etc!

 

[laika]

Surely real viking ships are crewed by people with plaited hair and axes, feasting and drinking wine from rams' horns. You're not going to get to valhalla particularly fast wearing a lifejacket:

Bet they've got iPads instead of sunstones

 

[joachimhollekim]

Surely real viking ships are crewed by people with plaited hair and axes, feasting and drinking wine from rams' horns. You're not going to get to valhalla particularly fast wearing a lifejacket:

Bet they've got iPads instead of sunstones

That being said, I bet the guy losing his mead over the side in the background is feeling pretty authentic.