Norway's Viking Ship Painting by Kristi Argyle

The ship is the very symbol of the Viking age. It represents the pinnacle of the Vikings’ technical achievements. The seagoing ship had a solid keel, flexible hull and efficient sails, enabling the Vikings to make long open sea voyages under the most extreme weather conditions.

The ships were fast, and easy to row. Because they were narrow, they cut through the water easily, and because they were long, the bow wave was well ahead of the stern wave, which made high speeds possible.