--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <-- 0:00 · originally the Scandinavians live 0:02 · relatively isolated from the rest of 0:06 · Europe but by about 700 AD they are part 0:10 · of a growing commercial trading network 0:13 · powered by advances in ship technology 0:17 · maritime technology is improving ships 0:20 · are getting faster they can range 0:22 · further a field sails are really coming 0:24 · into common use and that's gives the 0:27 · people increased possibilities to head 0:29 · out into that wider world 0:33 · the Vikings set off in all directions 0:36 · well beyond their 0:39 · territories they were both 0:43 · traders and 0:46 · raiders of course the acquisition of 0:49 · wealth stealing things is one of the 0:53 · motivations for these expeditions 0:59 · alongside the Viking raiders there are 1:01 · traders still going out there 1:06 · exploring new markets new 1:10 · transactions there are Scandinavians 1:12 · walking the streets of Istanbul and 1:14 · Baghdad 1:16 · the Islamic traveler Iben Fadlan 1:19 · described some he encountered along 1:21 · their eastern trade routes as having 1:23 · bright red hair like 1:26 · fire 1:28 · tattoos from tips of fingers to 1:33 · necks the Vikings use the great rivers 1:36 · as highways to travel east through 1:39 · today's Russia and beyond to Asia 1:43 · they raid Europe to the 1:45 · south and then they go west first to the 1:50 · neighboring British 1:52 · Isles and then on to Iceland and 1:58 · Greenland the Vikings were able to 2:01 · travel such great distances thanks to 2:03 · their cuttingedge ship technology 2:08 · one of the earliest surviving examples 2:10 · of a classic long ship is from Oenberg 2:13 · in 2:14 · Norway this vessel with its elegant high 2:17 · bow and stern dates to around 800 2:21 · AD its rounded hull and shallow keel 2:24 · would allow it to land easily on a beach 2:26 · or riverbank making any coast or inland 2:29 · waterway vulnerable to 2:32 · attack but how were these long ships 2:35 · made 2:39 · [Applause] 2:42 · [Music] 2:45 · at the Viking Ship Museum in Rosskilda 2:48 · Denmark master boat builder Martin 2:51 · Rodivad Dale is using traditional 2:53 · materials and tools to construct a 2:55 · replica what are you working on here 2:58 · right now it's the backbone it's the 3:00 · keel for a small Viking ship so what 3:02 · kind of wood is this this is This is oak 3:04 · yeah and uh the whole boat will be built 3:07 · out of oak right look at this what a 3:10 · piece how old do you reckon this is i 3:12 · would think 200 years old this is going 3:14 · to become planks how do you do that 3:15 · actually we'll split it in halves and 3:17 · quarters 3:19 · splitting oak trunks into planks perfect 3:22 · is tough work 3:23 · [Music] 3:26 · see 3:28 · well this is the line I think yeah yeah 3:30 · it's going that's going to work isn't it 3:34 · the plank will still have to be smoothed 3:36 · and shaped that's right yeah and fitted 3:39 · to the keel there we go this brilliant 3:44 · plank so the next plant will come right 3:48 · here this overlapping design is known as 3:51 · clinker it actually needs less 3:54 · waterproofing than fitted planks making 3:56 · the boat lighter and faster 3:59 · most think of oak as strong but it's 4:02 · also flexible wa it's pretty good that's 4:05 · amazing eh i weigh 100 kilos 4:09 · you get these amazingly strong planks 4:11 · and you get the flexibility too it all 4:14 · helps to mold the ship into the classic 4:16 · Viking shape and makes the boat sturdy 4:19 · and flexible enough to withstand 4:22 · powerful wind and 4:24 · waves and Martin wants to show Dan how 4:27 · it works so if you sort of move it you 4:31 · can see it's really see if you move you 4:35 · can tell amazing the whole thing is the 4:38 · whole thing's just twisting like this 4:40 · you can just see the ripples going down 4:42 · the hole there these amazing long ships 4:46 · are the engine of the Viking era their 4:49 · power helps create the myth of the 4:51 · Vikings as invincible maritime warriors 4:57 · on board their long ships the Vikings 5:00 · travel far and wide in search of 5:05 · wealth and soon the Vikings are starting 5:08 · to wreak havoc up and down the coast of 5:11 · the unsuspecting British Isles 5:14 · [Music]
For those who are unfamiliar, Dan Snow is a particularly obnoxious hardcore Leftist and moron who got put on several BBC programs and became known solely because his daddy was a BBC history presenter. On his podcasts - ostensibly about history - he used to have the most hilarious meltdowns about Trump from 2016-2020. This despite the fact that he’s Canadian-British and as such America is not his country and he won’t be living under any of the laws or policies passed by President Trump anyway.
Eventually laughing at his hysteria and idiocy became boring so I tuned him out completely.
Early Ships and Sailing fascinates me. Especially the Viking ships hand built with nothing but Axes and a supply of Trees...
They dominated their opponents by eating Lutefisk and rotted pickled herring and knocked them out during battle with their rotten breath.
“3:56 · the boat lighter and faster”
Faster is the interesting feature. I dove into this one time to find out why they were fast. I found the answer in Seaplane Float design. Early Seaplane float designs were smooth. and because they were smooth they created a kind of “suction” with the water which made it hard to release from water surface friction. So they added a “step” that would allow air to be sucked down to the bottom of the Float which broke this suction therefore letting it release easier. They found out that the Clinker built Viking ships did the same thing under way. The plank overlaps would suck in air to help greatly reduce the friction of the water drag along the hull.
Here is something you might find interesting Civ. Most sources claim that the Viking Ships were unable to tack against the wind. When they absolutely had to... Both the prevailing wind and ocean currents were against them to everywhere they went and sailed to from their home base. :)
https://trickyfish.co/how-did-vikings-sail-against-the-wind/
The sunstone aspect itself is fascinating. Icelandic spar... if I’m not mistaken. Would be interesting to know who figured out that one... Viking-wise.
The origins of port and starboard: Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner’s orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion. When looking forward, toward the bow of a ship, port and starboard refer to the left and right sides, respectively.
In the early days of boating, before ships had rudders on their centerlines, boats were controlled using a steering oar. Most sailors were right handed, so the steering oar was placed over or through the right side of the stern. Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became “starboard” by combining two Old English words: stéor (meaning “steer”) and bord (meaning “the side of a boat”).
As the size of boats grew, so did the steering oar, making it much easier to tie a boat up to a dock on the side opposite the oar. This side became known as larboard, or “the loading side.” Over time, larboard—too easily confused with starboard—was replaced with port. After all, this was the side that faced the port, allowing supplies to be ported aboard by porters.