THE BUILDING AND THE JOURNEY OF THE VIKING SHIP “VIKING” IN 1892 - 1893

摘要

In 1880 at a farm Gokstad in SE Norway an almost intact Viking ship from 890 AD was excavated in a burial mound. A group of Norwegian seafarers decided to have an exact copy of the ship found at Gokstad, built and exhibited at the World Exhibition in Chicago 1893, the Columbus exhibition. The construction started in August 1892 at a shipyard in Sandefjord in Norway. Delivery was in early 1893. The “Viking” departed Bergen 30th April 1893 and arrived in New London, Connecticut, 13th June 1893. The ship “Viking” arrived in Chicago 12th July 1893. The building method and procedures for assembling the hull were followed accurately. During the crossing certain design features became evident, not previously realized. The “Viking” had very good sea-keeping characteristics. The ship encountered several storms and turned out to be an excellent sailor, compared to the contemporary sailing vessels.