What sort of ships did the Vikings have?
The Vikings built many different kinds of ships, from small fishing boats and ferries, up to the famous longship. Viking ships large and small were all made in the same way. Planks of timber, usually oak were overlapped and nailed together. The ships were made watertight by filling the spaces between the planks with tarred wool or animal hair. The ships were all the same long narrow shape and floated near the surface of the water. This meant that they could be used in shallow water. Vikings often used their ships on rivers and lakes. Viking shipbuilders were very proud of their work and even the smallest ships had some carving as decoration.
