This is posted with permission from Bob Green. He has some interesting takes
on the ship that may have been used, as well as a comment on the
availability of timber (see the next posting).
Dana
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert D Green [SMTP:rdsg@compuserve.com]
<mailto:[SMTP:rdsg@compuserve.com]>
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2002 11:31 PM
To: Kyler, Dana; Susan M Grady; bob
Subject: RE: Viking Pine and St Margaret's birth place
Henry is said to have had a fleet of 13 ships, 10 of which were
barks, and one described as a "battleship" If you send me your address I
will send you a picture of a scottish bark which looks like a cog of the
same era. I think the bark had a sleeker hull perhaps 3 to 4 to one on a
length width ratio similar to a modern sail boat compaired with 3 to one for
the cog. the battle ship was probably a 60 foot or longer Viking ship with
a L/B ratio of 4 to one which made it the fastest vessel of its day (4 to 6
knots) where as the Hansiatic cogs at 3:1 could carry more cargo but were
very slow (3-4 knots). These ships were all clinker built being northern
ships were the Mediterrainian ships the Zeno's would have used were carvel.
You build what your local shipwrights are most familiar with especially when
your going to sail into the unknown, your life depends on your shipwrights
skills and past experience. So you don't try something new, especially when
you have limited funds! I do believe Henry added the Mediterranean lateen
sail since he would have been impressed with its superior upwind sailing
capability, especially if you need to escape Hansa pirates!
The old timers had no templates or drawings, paper was rare, animal
skins were commonly used for writing, so construction was from memory. The
Shipwright was a very respected perhaps the most respected skill to the
northern peoples and their economy. Imagine Amercia today without cars! So
the boats were built from skill and memory from the shell inward (a monoque
= shell), same as Greek and Roman ships once they began to de-forest their
countries as happened by this time in Norway. The ribs were added later
and shaped to fit the shell, then lashed to the planking. In today's hull
design you can save a huge amout of time by generating a frame shape every
two feet down the length of the hull and plot out full size templates used
to trace and then cut out the ribs. Then you can screw the planking to a
perfectly shaped hull without adjusting it with stones and wood props using
your eye. Probably saves half the time (labor is expensive today) in
constructing the ship, which enables more people to build them! See
computers are good for something! Good thing the vikings did not have
computers or they would have had more ships and conquered everybody!
Were you speaking to my sister or someone else about Jarl Henry?
God Bless;
Bob Sinclair Green