TheSkuldelev ships are five originalViking ships salvaged in 1957 to 1962 by the Danish National Museum from the bottom of Roskilde fjord, in the most important of the winding natural channels calledPeberrenden near the harbor ofSkuldelev,[1]c. 20 km (12 mi) north ofRoskilde inDenmark. The recovered pieces constitute five types of Viking ships and have all been dated to the 11th century. They are thought to have been an early form ofblockship, i.e. ships that werescuttled to block potential invasions from the sea.[2] The numbering of the ships is slightly confusing as when the remains were unearthed, they were thought to comprise six ships, but after "Skuldelev 2" and "Skuldelev 4" were later discovered to be parts of one ship, it was decided not to renumber the other vessels.[3]
Together, the five Skuldelev ships provide a good source of information about the shipbuilding traditions of the late Viking Age and are now exhibited at theViking Ship Museum in Roskilde. The museum has built accurate reconstructions of all five of the original Skuldelev ships; some of them have also been reconstructed by other groups across the world.
Skuldelev 1 was a sturdy seagoing cargo-vessel, possibly of theknarr type. It is 16 m (52 ft) long and 4.8 m (16 ft) wide and would have had adraught of 1 m (3 ft 3 in) with its crew of 6 to 8. The ship was constructed inSognefjorden in westernNorway around 1030 A. D. from thick planks ofpine, but has been repeatedly repaired withoak andlinden wood during its lifetime, in theOslo Fjord and in Eastern Denmark.[4] With a sail of approximately 90 square meters and only 2-4 oars, Skuldelev 1 could have navigated theBaltic Sea, theNorth Sea and theNorth Atlantic Ocean at a top speed of 13 knots (24 km/h). Approximately 60% of the original ship has been preserved.[4]
Skuldelev 1 has been replicated as the Viking shipOttar by the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum and is on display in the Museum Harbour.[5]
| Dating: | Ca. 1030 |
| Place of construction: | Western Norway |
| Preserved: | 60% |
| Material: | Pine, oak and lime |
| Length: | 15.84 meters |
| Breadth: | 4.8 meters |
| Draught: | 1 meter |
| Displacement: | 20 tons |
| No. of oars: | 2-4 |
| Crew: | 6-8 men |
| Sail area: | 90 m2 |
| Average speed: | 5-7 knots |
| Top speed: | Ca 13 knots |
Skuldelev 2 is an oak-built, seagoing warship. It is alongship, possibly of theskeid type.[4]
It is approximately 30 m (98 ft) long and 3.8 m (12 ft) wide, and would have had a draught of just 1 m (3 ft 3 in) with a maximum crew of 70-80.[a]Dendrochronology showed that the ship was built in theDublin area around 1042. The shape of the ship and its large sail of an estimated 112 m2 (1,210 sq ft), would have allowed for great speed, up to 15 knots (28 km/h) with a rowing crew of 60 and more while under sail. It is one of the longest Viking ships ever found, but was the least preserved of the Skuldelev ships, with only 25% of the original left.[4]
The Roskilde Viking Ship Museum administered a €1.34 million replication project of Skuldelev 2, known asHavhingsten fra Glendalough (The Sea Stallion from Glendalough). The project ran from August 2000 to September 2004 and comprised a total of almost 40,000 hours of labour. In the summer of 2007,Sea Stallion sailed from Roskilde to Dublin, arriving on 14 August. The ship was on exhibit in Dublin until the summer of 2008, at which time it sailed back to Roskilde, arriving on 9 August.[5]
| Dating: | 1042 |
| Place of construction: | Dublin, Ireland |
| Preserved: | Approx. 25% |
| Material: | Oak |
| Length: | Approx. 30 meters |
| Breadth: | 3.8 meters |
| Draught: | 1 meter |
| Displacement: | 26 tons |
| No. of oars: | 60 |
| Crew: | 65-70 men |
| Sail area: | 112 m2 |
| Average speed: | 6-8 knots |
| Top speed: | 13-17 knots |
The Skuldelev 3 is a 14 m-long (46 ft) and 3.3 m-wide (11 ft) cargo ship, possibly of thebyrding type. It is made from oak, with a cargo capacity of 4–5 tons and a draught of just 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in). It was constructed around 1040, somewhere in Denmark. With a crew of 5-8 and a 45 m2 (480 sq ft) sail as its primary power, Skuldelev 3 would have been well-suited for shorter journeys in Danish waters and theBaltic Sea.
It could reach a top speed of c. 10 knots (19 km/h). Skuldelev 3 is the best-preserved of the Skuldelev ships, with 75% of the original remaining.[4]
Roskilde Viking Ship Museum has replicated Skuldelev 3 as the Viking ship replicaRoar Ege.[5]
| Dating: | Ca. 1040 |
| Place of construction: | Denmark |
| Preserved: | Ca. 75% |
| Material: | Oak |
| Length: | 14 meters |
| Breadth: | 3.3 meters |
| Draught: | 0.9 meter |
| Displacement: | 9.6 tons |
| Cargo capacity | 4.6 tons |
| No. of oars: | 5 oar ports |
| Crew: | 5-8 men |
| Sail area: | 45 m2 |
| Average speed: | 4-5 knots |
| Top speed: | 8-10 knots |
During the initial dig, two parts of a ship were found. It was assumed that they were from two separate ships and were thus designatedSkuldelev 2 andSkuldelev 4. Later it was discovered that both sections were fromSkuldelev 2. It was decided to removeSkuldelev 4 from the catalogue with the remaining ships keeping their original designation, to avoid confusion.[3]
Skuldelev 5 is a small warship of thesnekkja type.[4]
It is 17.3 m (57 ft) long and 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide and would have had a draught of 0.6 m (2 ft 0 in) with a crew of about 30. It is made from a mixture of wood types with oak, pine,ash andalder, and was built around 1030 in the Roskilde area. The ship was purpose-built for sailing in the shallow Danish waters and the Baltic Sea. The top planks are equipped with holes for shield straps. With a sail of an estimated 46 m2 (500 sq ft), the average speed of the vessel has been calculated to have been 6 to 7 knots (11 to 13 km/h), with a maximum speed of about 15 knots (28 km/h). Approximately 50% of the original has been preserved.[4]
Roskilde Viking Ship Museum has replicated Skuldelev 5 as the replicaHelge Ask.[5] This is not the only replica of Skuldelev 5, however, the first beingSebbe Als, built in 1969 inAugustenborg, also in Denmark.Sebbe Als is able to reach a speed of 5 knots (9 km/h) on oars alone, and under sail she does 12 knots (22 km/h).
| Dating: | Ca. 1030 |
| Place of construction: | Denmark |
| Preserved: | Ca. 50% |
| Material: | Oak, pine, ash and alder |
| Length: | 17.3 meters |
| Breadth: | 2.5 meters |
| Draught: | 0.6 meter |
| Displacement: | 7.8 tons |
| No. of oars: | 26 |
| Crew: | Ca. 30 men |
| Sail area: | 46 m2 |
| Average speed: | 6-7 knots |
| Top speed: | Ca. 15 knots |
Skuldelev 6 is an 11.2 m-long (37 ft) and 2.5 m-wide (8.2 ft) vessel of unknown purpose (probably fishing orientated), equipped with oars and a sail.
It had a good cargo capacity, with a draught of 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) and was probably built for fishing. Like Skuldelev 1, Skuldelev 6 was built in Sognefjorden in western Norway around 1030, mainly from pine. It would have had a crew of 5-15. During its lifetime the ship was rebuilt somewhat, probably to be deployed as a coastal cargo ship. In this state it would have been known as aFerje, a general term for smaller cargo vessels. Approximately 70% of the original ship has survived.[4]
Skuldelev 6 has been replicated asKraka Fyr in 1998 by the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum.[5] In 2010, the museum replicated the original ship again asSkjoldungen. While also staying true to the original remains,Skjoldungen has a different interpretation of thebow andstern design.[4]
| Dating: | Ca. 1030 |
| Place of construction: | Western Norway |
| Preserved: | Ca. 70% |
| Material: | Pine, birch and oak |
| Length: | 11.2 meters |
| Breadth: | 2.5 meters |
| Draught: | 0.5 meter |
| Displacement: | 3 tons |
| No. of oars: | 14 |
| Crew: | Ca. 5-15 men |
| Sail area: | 26.5 m2 |
| Average speed: | 4-5 knots |
| Top speed: | 9-12 knots |
55°48′04″N12°03′30″E / 55.801°N 12.0584°E /55.801; 12.0584