Roskilde 6 - the longest longboat discovered so far

When most people think of Vikings, they think of strong raiders sailing the seas and rivers to find new people to conquer and treasures to plunder.  Because of this the Viking longboat has become a well-known symbol of the vikings.  These boats would be used for transportation and trade as well as raiding.  These boats would often range in size based on the need of the boat and who was ordering it.  The Roskilde 6 is currently the largest viking longboat found.  It is currently housed in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo Norway.

Excavation plan of the Roskilde 6

The Roskilde 6 measures 36 meters from stem to stern.  This ship would have had roughly 39 sets of oars to power it.  That would have 78 men just to manage the oars.  This longboat was discovered in 1997 during an expansion of the Viking Ship Museum.  Only part of the bottom of the ship was preserved because of how the ship was brought on land.  According to the Viking Ship Museum "A ship of this size was without doubt the property of a king or earl and probably one we are acquainted with from written sources" (Bill & Horte).  The exact date of the construction of this ship is unknown but it is estimated to be from 1025 C.E.  The other thing that makes the Roskilde 6 interesting is the way in which it was constructed.  In order to build a ship this long the workers had to come up with a new method.  They built the keel in a way that the whole thing functioned as one single piece of timber.

Bill, Jan, and Marianne Juelsgård Horte. “Roskilde 6.” Vikingeskibsmuseet i Roskilde, https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/education/viking-knowledge/the-longships/findings-of-longships-from-the-viking-age/roskilde-6/.

MacGregor, Neil. “A History of the Viking World – in 10 Extraordinary Objects.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Mar. 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/mar/03/viking-world-british-museum-neil-macgregor-exhibition.

MacGregor, Neil. “A History of the Viking World – in 10 Extraordinary Objects.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Mar. 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/mar/03/viking-world-british-museum-neil-macgregor-exhibition.