Get Viking Ship Anatomy

The ships were made watertight by filling the spaces between the planks with wool, moss or animal hair, mixed with tar or tallow. The ships were all the same long narrow shape, with shallow draughts. This meant that they could be used in shallow water. Vikings used longships to make raids and carry their warriors.

Firstly, Viking clothing was predominantly woolen, which is warm, even when wet. Most Vikings would also have a warm, thick, woolen cloak, or fur for some of the wealthy. Iceland was renowned in Viking times for the very warm, shaggy, woolen cloaks they made which conferred a high degree of protection from the rain.

The boat was also flexible, so it moved with the action of the waves. The longship has a flat bottom with a shallow draught which allowed the Viking to sail into shallow waters bays and even the shore line.

The actual food eaten on board ship was called nest, farnest or hafnest, and consisted of porridge made in a large riveted pot. This kind of pot has been found in the ship graves, Tune and Oseberg. Magnus Erlingssøn's saga says that besides porridge ship provisions also included flour and butter.

Draken Harald Hårfagre is a Dragonship. The Viking longships owned by kings and chieftains often had a head from a mythological animal in the bow, it offered protection from sea monsters and men, bad weather and raids along the voyages.

Cloaks were an important item for the Viking warrior, not only would they keep them warm in the daytime, they could be used as covers at night. With the raiding nature of ancient Norse life, a Viking could spend weeks sailing and invading new lands, and of course there would be no homes on the ocean to sleep safely in.

Parts of a Longship Oars: Longships had between 24 and 50 oars, depending on their size. ... Sail: Each ship had a big, brightly coloured square sail which was woven from wool. ... Mast: The mast of the longship was made from a single tree trunk.