Editing Viking ship (section)

== Longship ==
{{Main|Longship}}
[[File:Gokstadskipet1.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Gokstad ship]], on display at the [[Viking Ship Museum in Oslo]], Norway]]
Longships were naval vessels made and used by the Vikings from Scandinavia and Iceland for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the [[Viking Age]]. The longship's design evolved over many years, as seen in the Nydam and [[Kvalsund ship|Kvalsund]] ships. The character and appearance of these ships have been reflected in Scandinavian boatbuilding traditions until today. The average speed of Viking ships varied from ship to ship but lay in the range of {{convert|5|to|10|kn|km/h|0}}, and the maximum speed of a longship under favorable conditions was from {{convert|13|kn|km/h|0}} to {{convert|17|kn|km/h|0}}.<ref name="Vikingeskibsmuseet">{{cite web|url=https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/exhibitions/the-five-viking-ships/skuldelev-2|title=Skuldelev 2 – The great longship|website=Vikingeskibsmuseet Roskilde|access-date=23 January 2025|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240911084052/https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/exhibitions/the-five-viking-ships/skuldelev-2/|url-status=live |archive-date=11 September 2024}}</ref>

The long-ship is as a long, narrow, light, wooden boat with a shallow draft hull designed for speed. The ship's shallow draft allowed navigation in waters only one meter deep and permitted beach landings, while its light weight enabled it to be carried over [[portage]]s. Longships were also double-ended, the symmetrical bow and stern allowing the ship to reverse direction quickly without having to turn around. Longships were fitted with oars along almost the entire length of the boat itself. Later versions sported a rectangular sail on a single mast which was used to replace or augment the effort of the rowers, particularly during long journeys.

Longships can be classified into a number of different types, depending on size, construction details, and prestige. The most common way to classify longships is by the number of rowing positions on board. Types ranged from the Karvi, with 13 rowing benches, to the Busse, one of which has been found with an estimated 34 rowing positions.

Longships were the epitome of Scandinavian naval power at the time and were highly valued possessions. They were owned by coastal farmers and assembled by the king to form the leidang in times of conflict, in order to have a powerful naval force at his disposal. While longships were deployed by the Norse in warfare, there are no descriptions of naval tactics such as ramming, etc. Instead, the ships would sometimes be lashed together in battle to form a steady platform for infantry warfare. Longships were called dragonships (''drakuskippan'') by the [[Franks]] because they had a dragon-shaped [[prow]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Ervan G. Garrison|title=History of Engineering and Technology: Artful Methods|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5mvVElGudyYC&pg=PA111|year=1998|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-8493-9810-0|page=111|access-date=14 May 2018|archive-date=2 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502025644/https://books.google.com/books?id=5mvVElGudyYC&pg=PA111|url-status=live}}</ref>
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=== Karve ===
{{Main|Karve (ship)}}

The Karve was a small type of Viking longship, with a broad hull somewhat similar to the knarr. They were used for both war and ordinary transport, carrying people, cargo or livestock. Because they were able to navigate in very shallow water, they were also used for coasting. Karves typically had broad beams of approximately {{convert|17|ft|m}}.