Viking+Fleets

= = =toc= = = =1.Questions (I wonder...?)= I wonder? How did viking fleets avoid being bombarded with weaponry when they were arriving? I wonder? How did vikings manage to keep their ships intact enough to get back to scandinavia after a raid? I wonder how long it took to make a ship?

== =2. Inferences (I think that...because....)= I think that the vikings probably waited offshore until a good time to attack because they were already prepared to be on a long sailing trip so they probably had enough supplies to wait for a while. I think that no one would have messed with the ships because the people in the town being attacked would have wanted the vikings to be able to leave. I think that it most likely took about half a year to make a ship because the vikings had to get the wood and cut it to size. They then had to make the ribs to support it, they also had to soak the outside planks so they were curved, and the ornamental aspect was very important. Another factor to take into account was the fabric for the sail.

= = =3. Resources= [|Vikings in Ireland] [|North Atlantic Saga] [|Viking Ships] [|Viking Conquests] [|Viking Weapons] [|More on Viking Ships] = = = = =4. Summary= Viking fleets were some of the most fearsome things on the seas from about A.D.800-1100. Great sailing vessels called //drekar// cut through the open water at up to 14 knots, and could row into ports for a devastating raid and a quick getaway. These warships were quite a technological advance too because of the way they were built. First, the planks were cut with a broad ax rather than a saw allowing for the hull to be thinner and stronger because the wood would split along the grain. The ships were also built with a new idea, a keel that only went about a foot and a half down into the water let the vikings maneuver more easily and get into small inlets and shallow bays. Vikings weren't only interested in warships though, cargo ships called //knarr// gave vikings the abilty to trade and bring passengers. This allowed the vikings to move to Iceland, Greenland, and Vinland; the place we now know as Canada. So, because of the viking fleets' advances in technology, our world is a very different place.

= = =5. References= Ager, Barry. "Viking Weapons and Warfare." __BBC-History-Viking Weapons and Warfare__. Accessed January 11, 2001. BBC. November 4, 2009. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/weapons_01.shtml Hadingham, Evan. "Secrets of Norse Ships." __NOVA Online__. Accessed November 4, 2009. []