Identification

• Vikings actually had many ship designs, but the classic ship that most people imagine was the Longship. A small example would be called a Snekke. A typical snekke might be 50 or 60 feet long, 8 to 10 feet wide, and have a draft of a mere 1-2 feet. A snekke would be the standard Viking vessel, with larger and perhaps more ornately decorated vessels having a variety of other names, such as Drekkar, or "Dragon Ship."
  
  

The Keel

• A keel is the backbone of a ship. Vikings fashioned their keels from the trunks of trees, making the entire keel from a single piece of wood. The height of a tree was directly proportional to the length of the keel, and therefore the size of the vessel.
  
  

The Hull

• Hull of a Longship
  
  Strakes, or the elements of the frame that extend from the stem to the stern, are the first elements of the hull. This is followed by the planking, usually made from birch wood. On a Viking ship, the planking was always clinker-built, meaning the hull planking overlapped. The seams would be stuffed with caulking made from moss and tar. Everything was held together by iron rivets. The broad, shallow-bottomed hull of a Longship was a key element in its usefulness, since it allowed even large vessels to be beached, enter shallow waters, or to go upriver.
  
  

Propulsion

• A Longship under sail.
  
  Longships had a single mast and sail, with the sail typically being made out of wool. This would be used for long distance travel. Inshore or upriver, Longships would switch to oars. Most of the crew of a Viking Longship doubled as both warriors and oarsmen. A Longship usually did not have benches for rowing. Instead, the men would sit on their sea chests.
  
  

Stem and Stern

• The stem and stern are what typically attract the most attention to Viking Longships, as these could be ornately decorated. The dragon-head adorning the prow of a Viking warship is an iconic image of the Dark Ages.