You read that right. The Viking ship Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest Viking ship ever built in modern times, is on its East Coast American expedition and is currently at Greenport, Long Island until tomorrow. In 2016, the open-wood ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean and sailed into New York Harbor. You can see the video of its arrival below.
The Draken is 115 feet long, almost 79 feet high and a little over 26 feet wide, with a 260 meter square silk sail. The ship is made of oak and Douglas fir, with a rigging of hemp. It’s top speed is 14 knots. A whopping 100 oarsmen can row it and the ship comes with 25 oars. In its sail to the United States, 32 crew members took the journey.
The Draken was built in Haugesund, Norway. It’s inspired by the Viking ships, using as reference boats found through archeological digs, Norse legends, visual and foreign accounts of Viking boats, old sailing records, and Norwegian ship building know-how, as the Vikings did not leave behind nearly any records about ship building. The decoration, particularly, was influenced by the colors and designs found on boats unearthed through archeology.
The Draken was built from 2010 to 2012, and went on test trials from 2012 and 2013 before sailing on her maiden ocean voyage from Haugesund to Liverpool, England. On this year’s East Coast tour, The Draken will continue on to Ocean City, Maryland, Philadelphia, PA, Norfolk VA, Washington D.C. and back to Mystic, CT where the journey began. You can get tickets to see the boat here.
Michelle is the founder of Untapped New York and the author of The Art Spy (HarperOne, forthcoming) Secret Brooklyn, Secret New York Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. michelleyoungwriter.com
