Here is the second, he states that timber was probably not the reason for
the voyage and promises possible reasons in an up coming book.
Dana
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert D Green [SMTP:rdsg@compuserve.com]
<mailto:[SMTP:rdsg@compuserve.com]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 12:16 AM
To: Kyler, Dana
Cc: Susan M Grady; 'Robert D Green'
Subject: RE: Viking Pine and St Margaret's birth place
Dear Dana;
Yes please post my responses on the Web site. I have not had much
time to do so. If you can correct the spelling that would be appreciated.
It is my understanding that by 1400 Norway was becoming severly
de-forested
from over 700 years of viking ship building and expansion around the
known
world. The same thing happened in Greece before Christ which is why
there
was an evolution of ship building techniques away form the rigid
internal
frame to the monoque, shell first construction, later used by the
Romans
and much later the Vikings. One evidence of this deforestation is
that
viking ships changed from being constructed of oak, the material of
choice,
to pine, as oak became more scarce. It is of interest to note that
England
began to experience a difficulty in finding oak in the early 1800's
due to their 400 years of heavy ship building. During the American
Revolution England had a 600 ship navy! Thats a lot of wood! (our 12 ship
navy, built of oak, beat them, especially Old Ironsides with a double oak
hull that even large cannon balls would bounce off of while our cannons shot
right through the pine hulls of the English frigates. The Constitution even
destroyed the Ship of LIne Java which had twice the fire power,., but that's
another story.) Even though I believe there was a shortage of timber in
Norway, Henry had an amply supply of oak, pine, etc at Rosslyn so even
though free timber may have been an incentive to come to the New World I
don't believe it was a leading reason.
As to the various motivations as to Henry's voyage....well, you'll
just have to wait to read my book!
Bob Sinclair Green
Voyage Coordinator