The Nordmen Are Coming! The Nordmen Are Coming!

The nordmen are coming....

English sentinels scanning the ocean horizon sighted the dreaded dragonships of the invaders from the east, known as The Vikings, and rush to spread the warning.. Constant invasions have resulted in complete chaos, pillage and bloodshed as the men from the north, upon landing, overwhelmed the helpless defenders. Fierce dragon-heads on the  bows of the invading ships were meant to scare away ocean monsters and succeeded to also terrify any opposition. Their arrival was not a good event, and this has been going on  since the year 793 .

But this is the year 2014, and again, a Viking ship has set sail from Norway on a mission bound for English soil. However, this mission has a very different outcome.

On-board the Dragonship

The world’s largest Viking ship, The Dragon Harald Fairhair set sail in early July, 2014 for England on a voyage was expected to last three weeks.
The Dragon Harald Fairhair ( In Norwegian: Draken Harald Hårfagre) and named for the Norseking is a replica Viking longship built in the municipality of Haugesund, Norway. The Dragon Harald Fairhair brings the seafaring qualities of a warship from the old Norse sagas to life. It is a ship that combines ocean-crossing sailing capabilities with a warship's use of oars .Building began in
March 2010 while the launching of the longship took place in the summer of 2012. Because no one today has real experience handling a Viking ship of this size, the initial period was one of exploring how to sail and row the ship. By summer 2014, it was expected that the longship should be ready for its first real expedition.The Dragon Harald Fairhair is the largest "Viking ship" built in modern time and this was to be the maiden voyage.

A typical Viking Ship at sea.

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All went well for the first three days and the crew was settling in for the long voyage when, approaching the Orkney islands, they sailed into stormy seas and  a huge wave driven by high winds. The wave and winds broke the high mast, sending it, along with the huge 2,800 sq. foot sail of pure silk overboard. There would be a slight change of plans!

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Ship's crew including the Liverpool Victoria Rowing Team

This longship is a '25-sesse' (25 pairs of oars) – in other words, it is equipped with 50 oars. Each oar is powered by two men and the ship must have a minimum crew of 100 persons. When under sail, it requires a crew of 18–24 people. Luckily, on this voyage, the crew includes the Rowing Club, a team from Liverpool Victoria who had

travelled to Norway last year to train onboard the Viking ship in order to take part in the maiden voyage of The Dragon Harald Fairhair. They put their talents to good use as they rowed the large boat aided by modern motors that had been installed for an emergency.
They rowed and motorized to the nearest port, that being Orkney, the site of a Royal Navy site at Scapa Bay, which played a major role in World War I and II. However, timber to replace the huge mast was not available, and their rowing, motorized journey had to be continued from The Shetland Islands. The Draken left port using the motor,
 voyaging south past Orkney, then down the east coast of Scotland, crossing through the Caledonian Canal to the west coast of England.

They were then forced to motor on to their destination of Merseyside,Northwest England, trying to keep to the original schedule on their 115 foot vessel that had a displacement of about 70 metric tons constructed of oak.
The longship had been set to arrive, after a three-week passage under sail, on July 18 to be a highlight of the nationally recognized  British Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool golf club in Hoylake, but arrival times had to be revised as the Norse longship made its way through the Caledonian Canal.
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The shipbuilders sailing with them were expected to fly on to Scotland after reaching port to begin  the search for timber for a new mast, which will have to be constructed and then delivered for installation.

Awaiting repairs...waiting.

Once the Draken arrived , repairs were expected to be undertaken  and ready for the longship’s long journey home to Norway. Their "tee-time" mission to highlight the golf tournament in England was missed and the  remainder of their maiden voyage was in doubt.

 However, English Rowing Club members proved invaluable as mission plans were changed and their voyage probably not forgotten.

The rowers will get a rest, as the replacement mast will be installed, the new sail will be hoisted and The Dragon Harald Fairhair will be homewardbound  for Norway August 3rd.