By: Aisling Bronach of House Shadow Drake

The Viking ship was of superb design, but it was not always so. Their ships did not become that way over night, and it took until the ninth century for them to finally get a design that provided the perfect vehicles for voyage over water.

Viking ships went through a number of changes. One of the first was the keel, and the ability to remove the rudder. Another major problem that the Vikings overcame was the size of the oars: too short and they would not work, but if they were too long they would not be able to be managed. Then, perhaps the largest change was the addition of a sail. The Christians attempted to copy the Viking ship design, but it was not successful. King Alfred was one of the men who tried to copy the Viking ship design, but failed.

There was more than one design of Viking ship, and each design was better suited to a particular task or function. There was a ship design for trade, another for raiding, and yet another which was used to cross over deep seas. These designs allowed for variances in the amount of men a ship could transport, or the amount of goods that it could carry. The ships were balanced by oars which had to be manned by men.

The Vikings were superior in their naval technology compared to that of other cultures during the same chronological period. This allowed them to raid the towns on the continental coast, or to travel inland for the purpose of trade. Even today, the Vikings are still largely remembered by their ships.