Voyage unravels one of Viking eras enduring mysteries

Archaeologists and historians will solve one of the greatest riddles of the Viking Age when they complete a 1200 mile voyage from Scandinavia to Ireland aboard a giant Viking warship, an exact replica of one built nearly 1000 years ago.

London, Aug 13 : Archaeologists and historians will solve one of the greatest riddles of the Viking Age when they complete a 1200 mile voyage from Scandinavia to Ireland aboard a giant Viking warship, an exact replica of one built nearly 1000 years ago.

During the six-and-a-half-week voyage, experts from Denmark's Viking Ship Museum conducted experiments into the 11th-century life and tested sailing technology, and found that the famed longships were slower and more complex than earlier thought.

The vessel they replicated had been discovered and lifted by archaeologists in Denmark 50 years ago. Research showed it had been built in Dublin, Ireland, in 1042 and scuttled in Denmark 30 years later.

On this voyage, the vessel sailed from Roskilde in Denmark to southern Norway, then across the North Sea (where it was forced by poor winds to accept a tow from its escort vessel to Orkney), then via the Western Isles and the Isle of Man to Ireland. It will arrive in Dublin on Tuesday, reports The Independent.

The researchers found that in the initial sea trials, the hull "bent" back and forth from port to starboard by as much as 80 centimetres.

The ship was so flexible that Viking-style wooden nails began to work loose and the structure was in danger of falling apart.

After closer examination of the remains of the original vessel, the scientists discovered that their 11th-century predecessors had included substantial strengthening timbers for greater rigidity.

So the team members added an additional large longitudinal timber to the replica and deck planks and fastened it to the crossbeams.

Archaeologists behind the project said the experimental voyage has further shown that the larger warships were almost 20 per cent slower at top speed than previously thought.

ANI