The Vikings were great shipbuilders. The Vikings are mostly known for their raiding and their long ships because of the dragon head on the head of the boat. The Viking Long boat was one of their greatest warships because they were good for fighting at sea with. This ship is usually 70 feet long and narrow. Longboats were propelled by ten to fifty men who pulled oars that were on both sides of the boat. The oars were about 18 feet long. They were usually 4 to 6 feet deep too. The longboats could move very quickly across the water, because of the rowing, or just the wind that was blown into the large square sail. The longboats didn't need a harbor to dock either. They would just push the boats up onto the beach it. That, also made it easier to get off the boat. They could be beached easily. Some of the items the Vikings put on the boat consisted of three small boats, six collapsible beds, a heap of white cloth striped with red, a pile of thin, strong rope, two wooden walls shaped like the end of a tent, and 32 iron shields.VIKING LONGBOATS ABOUT THE SHIP:
BY: Allie and Laura
Questions:
1. Why
do you think that the boats were so long and had so many oars?
2. Why do you think the Vikings brought all those items with them on the longboats?
3. How
do you think the Vikings came up with the idea of building the longboats?