Posted on 02/25/2005 12:31:47 PM PST by franksolich
Viking ship cracking up
Eperts are worried about one of Norway's national treasures. Archaeologists have discovered cracks in the hull of he famed Oseberg Viking ship, which may halt plans to move the vessel to a new museum.
The archaeologists have been carefully going over the nearly 1,200-year-old ship, and are concerned about what they see, reports newspaper Aftenposten.
Removal of the vessel's top deck has revealed some exciting new details, like graffiti from the Viking age and details of the ship's rigging. But it's also exposed cracks that make archaeologists worry the ship won't tolerate any move to new quarters.
There have been plans afoot to build a new museum near the site of Oslo's first buildings east of downtown. The so-called "Middle Ages Park" already features the remains of ancient churches, albeit built after the Vikings ruled the waves.
Experts will spend the next several months trying to measure the ship's strength. Removal of the deck will allow the vessel to be scanned electronically. A 3-D drawing can then be made to help give the archaeologists an accurate basis from which to measure the vessel's structural capacity, Knut Paasche of the Vikings Ships Museum told Aftenposten.
White glove treatment
Working from cranes suspended over the Oseberg ship, conservationists have been using white gloves to carefully remove more than 100 deck parts without setting foot in the ship themselves. Their work is a far cry from that done in the 1950s, when workers went on board the vessel and even used a vacuum cleaner to remove dust.
Paasche described work during the past week as "incredibly difficult and somewhat risky." It's also been thrilling. None of those doing the work had ever seen the underside of the ship's deck.
They've seen signs of tools used on board the vessel when it was made for the burial mound of two women in the year 834. They've also found new decorations, that now will be photographed.
Viking researchers from all over Scandinavia are expected to travel to Oslo while the work is underway, to see the ship in an entirely new light.
It appears the good Vikings, who brought civilization, were from Norway, and the bad Vikings, who brought burning and pillaging, were from Sweden.
It's one of the last steam-powered ships and one of her boilers blew in Miami a few years ago, and replacing it is economically unfeasible.
It is called "stealth marketing," sir; selling something by unusual means.
In this instance, I add the word "Poland" to the keywords, because it immediately brings over to here many members of the Eastern European ping list....and hence more are enlightened about Norway.
An excellent ping list, sir, the Eastern European ping list, and I enthusiastically recommend it to others--one notices that many members of the Norway ping list visit it too.
Which helps everybody, all around.
This year, Norway is celebrating its 100th anniversary of independence from its older cousins, the Swedes, who had dominated it since 1815.
I believe even the U.S. Post Office is issuing a special commemorative stamp to mark the event.
I am still ploughing through biographies--real books, not internet sites--of kings of Norway (kindly suggested by Eurotwit, and his advice enthusiastically heeded), but it appears that from circa 1340 until 1815, Norway had been owned by their elder brothers, the Danes.
Why all this happened, well, I am not back that far yet.
The "Norway" was more of a cruise ship than an ocean liner, right? Correct, or not?
I have seen advertisements for the "Norway" cruises since--well, since God was a boy, or something.
Is there any talk in Norway, of preserving this wonderful historic artifact, just like the Viking ship?
Her's a brief history from the web.
She was France's last "ship of state" and the service and style on board matched her elegant profile. For most of the year she crossed from LeHavre to New York via Southampton and occasionally she was sent on a cruise, usually to an exotic destination. Meals on board were some of the finest anywhere (on land or at sea) and the First Class restaurant was called "the best French restaurant in the world" by more than one food critic. Unfortunately, with the advent of air travel and increased fuel costs, she became increasingly more expensive to operate and when government subsidies were halted, she was withdrawn from service in 1974. She was the subject of many unrealized projects, until 1979 when she was purchased by Norwegian Caribbean Lines, and converted into the worlds largest cruise ship. Two of her four propellers were removed and she underwent extensive renovations until she emerged significantly heavier as the S.S. Norway in 1980.
Her boiler blew up killing some crew members a few years ago. It's in a shipyard in Germany right now.
This boat's over twice as old as Henry's.
If you want an active thread, post some pictures of the Swedish bikini team wearing guns. They're out there.
That happens on the Norway ping list, sir.
Usually when the authentic Norwegians actually in Norway are "active" in Free Republic (yes, there are some).
But this being late Friday afternoon (5:30 p.m. Nebraska time, 11:30 p.m. Norway time), the Norwegians are out getting aquavitaed, and not logged on to Free Republic.
Well..........ok...........Firewood?
I realize that. But there seemed to be a lot of talk about Swedes, so I thought I would mix it up a bit. Remember, it IS Friday afternoon. ;^)
Has anyone made a Viking long ship and tried to sail from Greenland to Newfoundland?
"Graffiti from the Viking age?
UFFDA!"
______
How bout dem Vikings! you betcha.
It is the "salesman," the promoter, the huckster, the snake-oil vendor, the public-relations manipulator, the advertising man, that exists within myself, sir.
If I had my choice, because I am more familiar with the subject, naturally I would have started with an Eastern European ping list, but our mutual good friend in Poland already had one, and I did not wish to invade his territory--especially since he can do a much better job with explaining Eastern Europe, than I can.
That Eastern European ping list is excellent; no one here in America could possibly do it any better.
When someone from Norway on January 28 complained that Free Republic is "anti-Norway," it was as if a Gift from God, sir, dropping on to my lap--I had a "cause," I had something to promote, to sell.
I have a very boring job, sir (I prepare income-tax returns), and because as you already know from my "profile" here on Free Republic, common ordinary everyday things such as social conversation, chatting on the telephone, listening to the radio or music, watching television or movies, are impossible for me, and so I have all these empty hours in life.
I never thought about Norway, I never lost any sleep over Norway, I never paid any attention to Norway, sir, until January 28--and now I think about Norway at least one hour a day, which fills up an empty hour.
I think most of the vikings ships recovered were dug out of mud. I bring every foreign visitor to Norway to the Viking ship museum. If you come to Oslo, I'll give you a guided tour.
I have to tell you though that I am all aquited up at the moment, but as they say...in vino veritas....
You have the best ping list of all freerepublic.
Skål :-)
I hope you're having a good time; it's not even dark here yet in Nebraska, the Norway of America.
As soon as I find the appropriate place, I'm writing to the Norwegian border guards, to compliment them on the fine job they are doing, and to say I wish our own were half as competent, &c., &c., &c.
But members of the Norway ping list will get a copy, as usual, via e-mail.
Also, I have to contact our man in Oslo.
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