08-JAN-2006
Stern ornamentation
This is perhaps the archetypical image of a Viking ship; the ornamented prow of a dragon-ship appearing out of the fog carrying a bunch of mushroom-crazed barbarians, hungry for loot. They certainly had a good eye for the aestethics of their ships, whatever their other qualities were.
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View from dead ahead
The low, broad hull shape is readily apparent, as is the very tall bows.
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Port bow, broadside-on
Both the keel and the upper plank of the hull sides is richly carved. It is easy to understand, from this viewpoint, why these ships were called "snakes" or "dragons".
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Starboard bow, broadside-on
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Stern, seen from port
The ship is double-ended, so the shape of the stern is similar to that of the bow. Here, too, the stern and upper side plank are carved. The side-rudder is hung on the opposite side of the hull - which is why that side is still today called "starboard", from "steer-board". The "port" side is, of course, the side which faced towards land on those rare occasions when one had a pier to tie up alongside. Under normal circumstances the entire ship could be dragged half-way up on the beach, they were lightly built and had large crews so this was no problem.
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A look into the bows, from starboard
You can see the carved bracing structures at the top of the bow.
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A look into the bows, from port
Of interest here is the nearly horizontal V-shaped timber that supports the ship's sides, inside the bows.
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Fore part of hull, starboard
Note how the planks forming the near-vertical ship's sides are terminated short of the bow, while the hull-planking proper runs all the way up to the stem.
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Stern ornamentation
A closer look at the stern decorations.
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Stern
The complexity of the carved frieze can be see. This kind of carved-work appears on a lot of stuff found in the ship-grave, not just the hull itself.
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Stern ornamentation, detail
This is the area where the top planks terminate at the stern.
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Sternpiece ornamentation
Details from the frieze decoration the stem. You can also see a bit of the rudder.
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A view along the starboard side
The sleek lines of the hull are clearly visible here. Although oars are carried in crutches on top of the ship's side, these ships were first and foremost sailing vessels.
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A view along the port side
Compare the positions of the oar-holes to those on the Gokstad; the Oseberg has far less freeboard and is not suited to the open ocean.
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The rear of the hull
Note how the topside planks are terminated short of the stern.
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Overview of hull insides
Like Gostad, Oseberg has a light deck made from loose planks slotted inbetween beams in the hull. Note the very large mast-partner - see the photos of the Tune ship for a closer look at this fitting. The small platform right at the bows could be used in battle to hold a big ugly Viking with an axe. At least that's how the story goes.
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Rudder-head detail
This shows how the rudder was attached to the hull at its upper end, with a quilted lashing. It was made from bark, I believe, rather than rope.
08-JAN-2006
The rudder mounting
Here you can see the lower attachment point for the rudder.