Viking ship visits Stromness

A replica viking ship arrived  in Stromness last night after a trip which saw it cross the North Sea from Norway, travel up the Caledonian canal and visit select locations on the UK’s west coast.

The ship is currently moored at the inside of the ferry pier in Stromness harbour.

The hundred-and-fourteen-foot long  Draken Harald Hårfagre is said by its builders to be the largest viking ship built in modern times. The Drakan, which is privately, was built in Haugesund, Norway, as an experimental archaeological research program, the aim of which is to recreate the seaworthiness of the viking age’s ocean-going longships.

Accordingly the ship was developed  by Norway’s foremost traditional boat builders and has 25 oars so that it can be rowed by its crew of 29. The boat is 27 feet on the beam with a 3,200 square foot sail of pure silk..

For more information visit the ships website here.