Joining the ranks of the drakkar-builders, you subconsciously try to resemble the images of the harsh northerners drawn by your imagination. The Vikings were considered among the finest storytellers in Europe, whose sagas continue to fascinate modern readers. One of the hallmarks of Old Norse poetry, legends and sagas is black humor (humor of the gallows). Usually, when one of the heroes voices such a joke in the Viking sagas, it becomes a bad omen, in such works there are much more such jokes than one might expect. Unfortunately, it is difficult for a modern person to withstand such literary competition, especially within the framework of a short article.
However, this also applies to the ship component, given that in those distant times there were masters of the highest qualification, capable of building an excellently stable and fast ship even "by eye". Such a master was accompanied by a whole team of various specialists: woodworkers, board masters, carvers in figured details and blacksmiths, as well as a number of auxiliary workers. Fortunately, I have to build a boat five dozen times smaller, so the work team is limited to the cat Dasha, and the overseas lumberjack Proxxon.
Considering that the review of the construction of the drakkar model from the Italian company Amati is not unique in the modeling community, therefore I will try to be more or less brief and focus not on general plans, but on trifles and nuances.
I'll start with the box and contents. It fully corresponded to the declared. Unless some rupture of the corner of the box lid caused aesthetic dissatisfaction, but the seller's 10 percent discount ("Shipyard on the table") completely compensated for it. The paper component of the content is shown in the photo. There are no complaints about the quality of drawings and instructions, both standard and translated in Russian.
Having overcome with great difficulty the age-old desire of the modeller to assemble the skeleton of the ship as soon as possible for its speedy 3D visualization, I started working on the plywood issue, which, in my opinion, is eternal for European manufacturers. Starting with pasting the ends of the frames-toptimbers-beams (Underline whatever applicable) and keel, continued with double cloning above the underlined elements. I glued lime (in the good sense of the word) 0.5 mm thick veneer on bends with a soldering iron, depriving myself of smoke breaks for the period of glue drying, since the process took place almost instantly. Beams, processed on both sides, have a thickness of 3 mm, which, after not tricky calculations, gives a thickness of 15 cm of natural size, which may not be entirely correct, but not fatal.
In addition, with the help of a simple engraving device (by the way, very light and convenient) from Proxxon, I created a kind of wood carving on pre-planned parts of the keel. The word "type" is used to distinguish between real carving and that primitive, semi-rock painting that I did. That's when I regretted the missing figure carvers mentioned above. The only thing I can say in my defense is that such "refined cubism" is found on the neck and partly on the head of a dragon that adorned the stem of a ship found at the mouth of the Scheldt River.
Awakening the spirit of a sadistic animalist in myself, without a twinge of conscience I sawed off a potential dragon of his strange-looking dog tail from the notorious plywood, and, as far as my talents allow, cut a new, more elegant one from an apple tree (by the way, the material for cutting is simply wonderful), after which spliced it on the pins with the "torso".
Having finished with the preparatory work, quite quickly and seamlessly assembled the "skeleton of the ship" from the keel and frames. Malkovka also passed without excesses, and he removed the "extra" from all the frames, and not just the three step-like ones indicated in the instructions. Another nuance is the impossibility of processing the skin from the outside, because plywood, uncompromising in its uncontested nature, has three multi-colored layers, which, as the file or sandpaper is exposed, festively and joyfully demonstrate themselves to the outside world.
As a result, it was not possible to perfectly combine the skin. Either because of the crooked Amati laser, or a similar defect in my hands. True, one moment is slightly inspiring: the case turned out to be surprisingly strong and resistant to deformation, especially after the nailing operation I took. I don’t see the point in describing this action again, I will only note that the distance between the dowels is 4 mm and the number is uncountable.
This is a joke. Two packs of 600 pieces were enough (for my laziness, I used only the tips sharpened on both sides, I left the “carcasses” for future turning experiments), the toothpicks turned out to be bamboo and rather heavy to process, so the prepared grinder turned out to be almost useless for outdoor work, but completely rehabilitated itself in the processing of the skin from the inside. In general, in order to save sandpaper and not demonstrate to others your rich supply of obscene words, it is better to use birch dowels.
After nailing with bamboo, it was time to install the deck, more precisely 4 of its components, as well as the missing beams, with a strange combination equal to the number of those that were taken out. Having installed all of the above, as well as some additional elements on the bow and stern, I moved on to the next logical operation - to decking. To do this, I first had to overcome my innate laziness and decide to cover not with solid deck boards, but, as expected, with small floorboards lying on T-shaped beams, which were not fixed by anything and, of course, without any nailing - for accessibility in case any hold stash of harsh northern men, as well as the performance of an unattractive, but such a necessary job of scooping up dark bilge waters. Two tools were very useful for this work: the aforementioned in an unequal battle with bamboo toothpicks - a grinder and a mini patchwork iron, an ideal thing for welding planks to PVA glue.
After some deliberation, I decided to make this ship not some kind of "windy" (in the sense of sails only), but as powerful as the nature of Scandinavia, that is, rowing against the seething northern waters. The oars were not inserted into the oarlocks, but passed through special holes - "rowing hatches". Consequently, their closing lids had to be made in the open position, by the way, the lids themselves are nothing more than the remains of a "tile" from the stern of the Black Pearl, since I chopped these round pieces of glossy cardboard coated with bituminous varnish with a huge margin.
The advent of rowing hatches directed creativity to the next step: what should actually enter and row into them. I won't say that this part of the work was the most interesting, but 7 types of oars, four of each, were made within a week. Each oar consisted of three parts to facilitate the work (see photo), one of which was plywood, which initially caused internal protest, but after experiments with bituminous coating, the protest came to naught.
The solution to the next logical problem was the rowing question: where, in fact, the rowers sat. During the excavations of the Viking ships, benches for rowers were not found, but the height at which the oarlocks are located in relation to the floorboards excludes the possibility that the rowers were standing. Some scholars have suggested that they were sitting on their sailors' chests, and such chests were not found on the ship because they were the personal property of the sailors, and not part of the ship's equipment.
Arguing with archaeologists is a long and vague matter, it is easier and faster to make the required number of chests, especially since the rowing team sitting right on the deck looks rather comical.
After 28 items of personal property of sailors, it was not difficult to make a few more, already public ones. In the photo, you can easily distinguish self-built and home-made items from Amati's "museum quality" items.
The alteration also affected the more complex parts of the ship. For example, "mast fish" or mast fishers, or "old woman", or curling, I don’t know what else to call this piece of wood. The problem turned out to be that the manufacturer of the whale for some reason decided to make it iron, which did not arouse my enthusiasm at all. Still, the expression - an iron piece of wood sounds somehow strange. I think that this photo also shows the difference between the product of Italian masters and what happened to me, after two hours of fiddling with a piece of the back of a former crib made of incomprehensible wood, and, in addition, a stopper cover for a walnut mast.
I don't see much point in describing the following operation in detail. Perhaps a small literary digression... Looking at the drawings and drawings, it is easy to make sure that the rudder of the Viking ships was not located along the centerline of the stern, as we are used to, but on the side, on a special mount. And trial modern voyages prove that even with a fierce wind and strong seas, only one person easily steered the ship with the help of this side rudder!
After coating the deck with linseed oil, and everything else with a diluted bituminous varnish, it's time to place all sorts of "pleasant little things" - barrels, bags, sewn personally from "canvas", a tub of water, as well as a bow with a string of monofilament and an axe. Almost everything was fixed with a glue gun. In principle, I liked it, the only thing is that the cooling rate is very high, this does not give time for unnecessary reflection.
History is silent, at least from me, whether the "fisherman's bayonet" knot was known to the Vikings. But it was he who, according to the already established tradition, was attached to the anchor to the rope (the anchor chain provided for this by the manufacturer somehow does not fit either with the ship itself or with the time of its existence).
Painting work is a separate topic. Firstly - shields, secondly - the head of a dragon. Both are very vividly described in a Latin text about the Viking fleet that brought Knut to England in 1015: "So magnificently were these ships decorated that they dazzled the onlookers, and to those who looked from afar, it seemed that they were made of of fire, and not of wood. For every time the sun shone upon them the radiance of its rays, weapons shone in one place, and suspended shields flashed in another. Gold burned on the prows of the ships and silver sparkled. Truly, so great was the splendor of this fleet that if his master wished to conquer any people, then only the ships would frighten the enemy even before the soldiers could enter the battle ... "
I think that it is quite difficult to add something to choose the color palette of the horned head of a representative of an ancient civilization from the constellation Sirius...
The shields, in turn, were painted in different ways, depending on the taste of the owner. They could be painted completely in one color, or in segments. Considering that your obedient servant is the owner of all this wealth, I left the coloring at the mercy of my opinion, naturally within the limits of reasonableness and relevance, while trying to create some second-hand and vintage.
Much more questions about the white turnover of the shields. I will not cite here a rather heated scientific debate of respected scientists about the fiction or reality of the existence in Scandinavian myths - the white inner part of the shields in case of "diplomatic negotiations", the horns on the helmets of warriors, and finally, the red and white striped sails. I'm not talking about the discussion about the time of occurrence of the legends themselves, we are talking about a difference of tens of centuries. With all this, if desired, you can find on the Internet. Taking into account a certain mythical nature of historicism, I made a strong-willed decision: to be white shields and a striped sail ... at least from an artistic point of view, this is more interesting.
It's time to spend some time on that sail, mentioned several times. The manufacturer of the whale suggests making a rather strange design - stick 3-4 mm strips of it diagonally crosswise on a solid panel. Again, I will not give here the directly opposite opinions of respected people about the stones from Gotland with images of ships sailing with an unfolded sail. Where the sails are usually covered with a pattern of diamonds, while written sources state that the sails are painted with stripes of contrasting colors. Either the Gotlanders preferred other designs, or, more likely, the diamonds represent a network of ropes or leather straps that covered the surface of a loosely woven sail, strengthening it. Having plunged into a lot of assumptions and hypotheses, I realized one thing, since there are no exact facts, then I will be based on those that are most widespread. In addition, I got the basic information for myself from the book "Viking Court" by Jochen von Fircks, therefore I will continue to be based on the author's conclusions. This, in particular, applies to a striped sail made of wool. Having decided for himself to give up wool, but not red and white stripes, he decided for a long time how to achieve this. Stitching multi-colored stripes, albeit on a 50th scale, is not very good for me, the seams in any scenario will not be large-scale, and achieving evenness, with my rudimentary seamstress skills, is a big problem. After several experiments, I finally found a solution. With a red pencil, I drew the necessary pattern on the fabric, then decorated it with acrylic paint on both sides. After drying, the fabric was subjected to both mechanical stress and lying in hot strong tea, but showed very good color fastness. After that, it remains only to make an imitation of seams with a stitch on a sewing machine along the edges of the drawn stripes.
I don’t see much point in writing about the manufacture of a mast, yardarm, spiers, everything is standard: on a cone. Spirts are a little more complicated, they also have a kind of fork made from one edge. Finishing - bituminous varnish and linseed oil.
About rigging work, too, you won’t particularly spread, in comparison with any single-masted vessel, even with a slanting, even with a straight sail. Here everything is even simpler, and, I'm not afraid of this word, sometimes even primitive. I wound the threads myself, whales traditionally cause only sadness.
The question of the stand has been in the air for a long time and periodically kept me awake, and when I installed the steering wheel, I realized that the body could stand on its own, even if it could no longer roll over from side to side, it became simply the most relevant. To be honest, several options were made, but only one, the one in the photo, passed the artistic council. I can’t call it a work of art, especially considering that there was only one holder for the ship (I didn’t want to start a story with an online purchase of another one), but somehow it was necessary to get out of the situation.
With that, I say goodbye and hope to see you soon...
With the help of special items, you can build and upgrade buildings, as well as demolish them if necessary.
Warrior Blueprint— an item required for the construction and improvement of the Military Block. It can be purchased at the Clan Store for Loyalty Points and at the Item Store for Gold. There is also a chance to find the Warrior's Blueprint in Loki's Chest.
Bronze- an item that is needed to improve buildings from level 27 to 31. It can be earned by completing personal Tasks, purchased in the Clan Store for Loyalty points or as part of bank offers, and also received for attacking the Uber Invaders. The probability of dropping Bronze is affected by the Hero's Skills, learned Knowledge, equipment and boosts that increase the Hero's combat performance in the fight against the Invaders.
Nugget- an item for improving buildings from level 32 to 35. It is issued as a reward for reaching milestones in Competitions and for winning places in the Asgard League ratings. Also, the Nugget can be purchased as part of bank offers or found in the Chests of the Gods, which drop out for the extraction of resources in the “Gifts of the Gods” locations of levels 8 and 9.
All of the above items are displayed in the "Resources" section in the "My Items" tab.
Torch- an item with which you can instantly demolish an unnecessary building in the city. It can be purchased in the Item Shop for Gold, and also received as a reward for attacking the Invaders and for daily entry into the game. The number of available Torches is displayed in the “My Items” tab, in the “Bonuses” section.
viking boat
From the Varangians to the Greeks - that was the name of the route from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea in the 6th-7th centuries. Who were called the Varangians] The Varangians are warlike, courageous sailors who lived in Scandinavia. In their homeland they were called Vikings, in the west - Normans, and in Russia - Varangians.
On their ships - boats - they made escapes to other countries. Long before Columbus, the Vieshngs crossed the Atlantic and reached the shores of America.
The appearance of their ships has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. The bow and stern of the boat were the same, and therefore it was easy to change direction: to row forward or backward without turning around. On a high stem, the Vikings set the head of some monster carved out of wood and covered with gilding. All this gave the boats a proud and at the same time intimidating look. From a distance, the ship looked like a sea dragon floating on the waves, hence the name - drakar. The mere sight of these ships sometimes made the enemy tremble.
At first, Viking ships were known only from descriptions and drawings. But in 1892, during excavations in the swamps near Schleswig, a Viking boat was first found. Later, several more rooks were discovered. It is interesting that the Varangians did not settle on the Slavic coast of the Baltic - they met a powerful rebuff from the side of the Pomors.
Some of the found rooks managed to be reconstructed - accurately restore all the details. It turned out that other a-ry reached a length of 30-40 m, a width of 5 m.
So, we suggest you make a model of the famous ship. Scale 1:1.
First of all, select the material. For the keel frame (part 1) you will need 2 mm thick cardboard, for the frames (parts 2-8) - 1 mm thick cardboard, for the side plating (parts 11-17) and the deck (part 9) - thick paper. It is desirable that the paper and cardboard have a color close to the natural color of the wood: for the side plating, keel frame and frames - darker, for the deck and seats - lighter. If you don’t have the material you need, paint ordinary cardboard and paper with watercolors.
The material has been selected - now you can start working on the model. Transfer the drawings through carbon paper to cardboard vgm paper and cut out the details using a knife, knife-
In short - yes, small, but it was. Its presence is clearly seen on the exhibits of ships that archaeologists managed to get. More on this later in the article.
First, remember that there are at least 2 types of Viking ships that are quite different: . The main differences are that the first was created so that the landing of the vessel was higher (better patency in shallow water) and the ship itself was lighter and faster. Accordingly - the total saving of space. The second (knorr) was created for a large carrying capacity and the maximum possible cruising range.
Knorrs
If we talk about knorrs, then there is no doubt about the presence of a hold. But this is not a full-fledged under-deck space in full growth, as everyone imagines. In knorrs, the landing of the ship was deep, the sides were higher. All this in order to accommodate as much cargo as possible, and so that the cargo is protected from sea waves and water as best as possible.
In the middle, the deck was open to accommodate oversized cargo, including animals. The latter still somehow had to be fed, to watch them during the journey. There was indeed a lot of protected space under the two deck halves. Real hold. But, of course, not for living. Even with such a height from the bottom of the ship to the deck, it is hard to imagine how people are accommodated there.
Universal ships, carvies
But with the space below the deck of a warship, the situation is different. First, let's look at the cross-section of the universal Viking ship using the Gokstad ship as an example:
There is very little of it. In the photographs of a replica of this 22-meter boat, you can see for yourself the scarcity of space.
In fact, this space would not exist if it were not necessary to make the deck even due to protruding beams - beams transversely strengthening the ship.
Pay attention to one more feature - this space could be used for laying ballast. Also, the hold had to be accessible for disassembly in order to scoop out water, which inevitably accumulated in turbulent weather. And, perhaps, they didn’t scoop it out until it reached the level of the deck or until the boat moored.
Based on all this, it is difficult to imagine that such a hold was seriously considered for storing anything. What is the direct responsibility of the hold. But, nevertheless, some simple, not bulky cargo could be placed there. For example, shields, tackle. At the same time, given that the hold was not flooded with water.
Here is another replica of the Gokstad ship, built in Norway in 1892-1893. Now it is stored in Chicago, USA. The photographs clearly show the volume of space:
Here is what is written on the website of the museum, where the Gokstad boat is stored:
The deck consists of planks of pine that could be lifted so that the crew could easily bale out water if necessary. This also provided storage capacity for a little cargo.
The deck consists of pine planks that could be raised to allow the crew to easily bail out water when needed. Thanks to this, there was access to space for a small load.
The Gokstad ship is a universal ship (karvi), i.e. it was used both as a combat and for transporting cargo (on deck). This type of boat was common until the beginning of the 11th century, when a clear division into merchant ships and combat ships appeared - longships(longskips) or longships(drakens, dragons).
Drakkars
cross section longship, longship indicates that space also exists, but has a different form. The reason is the peculiarity of the drakkar - it is narrower and longer. For example, the width of Skuldelev-2 is only 3.8 meters versus 5.1 for the Gokstad boat. Although the length of this drakkar is much longer (30m versus 23.8m).
Look at the image of the cross section of the deck of Skuldelev 2 (Skuldelev 2) at the top. The space below deck gains in height, but loses in width. Don't forget about ballast and water accumulation.
Results
Finally, if we consider viking drakkars- yes, there was a hold. It could be used to store some small items, but no more.
Despite the inconvenient shape, the lack of full access to the entire space, flooding with water make such a hold, nevertheless, a very good way to save space on the deck. In cases where nothing should interfere, to cope with the elements in stormy weather or for a large area, for mobility in boarding combat or battle side to side.
The largest of the known Viking longships is currently named "Roskilde 6". Naturally, no one knows the real name of this handsome man. When a slender and beautiful silhouette of Roskilde 6 appeared on the horizon a thousand years ago, it was very bad news for those who saw it. This drakkar carried a company of harsh, thirsty for blood and prey warriors through the waters of the northern seas.
This is the largest Viking ship ever found. It was discovered in Roxilde in 1996, and quite by accident. Keeping the rules of the Danish language, it is more correct to pronounce its name as "Roskilde" (Dan. Roskilde). According to estimates, the construction of such a ship in those distant times took 30 thousand man-hours of skilled labor of shipbuilders, plus the work of felling trees and transporting materials. The length of the ship is slightly more than 36 meters, and this is four meters more than the flagship of Henry VIII "Mary Rose" (eng. Mary Rose), built five centuries later. The Roxilde 6 is also six meters longer than the re-created Viking ship Sea Stallion, which in 2007 sailed from Scandinavia to Dublin, circumnavigating Scotland.
Excavations "Roskilde 6" 
The original skeleton of the ship is mounted in a metal frame that recreates its shape and full length.
This giant was built after 1025, when the oak trees used for construction were cut down. He could carry 100 warriors, who took turns sitting behind 39 pairs of oars if the wind was not enough to fill the square sail of woolen fabric. They were rather cramped on board, sleeping between the seats, and there was very little room for supplies. Therefore, supplies were taken at a minimum - fresh water, ale or mead, which did not spoil very quickly, dried fish, as well as salted and dried meat.
Swimming was uncomfortable, but usually short. There was no need to take a large load, since the ship was moving surprisingly fast. Thus, the Sea Stallion managed to maintain an average speed of 5.5 knots, and its maximum speed was 20 knots. Once landed, the Vikings were able to forage by hunting and plundering, acting ruthlessly and efficiently. All of Europe experienced the fury of the Normans for more than three hundred years.
Surely the ships did not come one by one. “There is evidence in the annals that ships arrived in the hundreds,” says Gareth Williams, a British Museum scholar. - Therefore, we can talk about an army of up to 10 thousand people, which suddenly landed on your coast. They were well-trained, strong warriors, capable of moving very quickly both on water and on land. Building such luxurious ships was fabulously expensive, Williams said, but it was a devastating display of Norman military might.
Circumstances of discovery and restoration
The ship was found quite by accident, when an extension was being made in the Roskilde ship museum in Denmark (!). The museum itself also houses previously found Viking ships, which in ancient times were sunk on purpose to narrow the passage in the fjord and protect the approaches to Roskilde, the ancient royal capital of Denmark.
In 1996, archaeologists observing the progress of construction work discovered the skeleton of a huge ship on the site of a new foundation, some of the frames of which had already been broken by piles driven into the base of the extension.
Moreover, a random find turned out to be a real treasure, consisting of nine (!) Viking ships in total. "Roskilde 6" (I hope now the number "6" in the title is clear), which managed to save almost half of the hull, was the most spectacular discovery.
The original ships of Roskilde are spectacularly put on public display in a hall specially built for this purpose. The cases look very solid, but they can shatter like brittle glass. During the excavations, the damp frames of Roskilde 6 could crumble into dust if they had access to air. The ship conservation project was led by a specialist from the National Museum, Christiane Stratkvern (Kristiane Straetkvern). Its essence was to dry the 10-meter-long frames much more slowly than was done by previous methods, and then replace the moisture that had gone with synthetic resin, which made the frame lighter, but remained strong.
A tense moment came for the ship when the assembly and testing of the dried frames began. Each was inserted and secured in its carefully laser-cut and well-fitted socket. The result is a bolted frame, reminiscent of a giant children's designer. But during transportation, it can be easily disassembled into hundreds of parts.
Details of the ship in the process of conservation 
The final stage of work: the assembly of the ship "Roskilde 6" on the frame 
The wreck of the ship "Roskilde 6" fixed on the frame in the exhibition pavilion of the National Museum of Denmark
The team from the Roskilde Museum has evolved into a group of ancient ship restoration experts, and they are regularly invited to carry out restoration work. They hope that one day they will be able to recreate a life-size copy of the huge Roskilde 6 ship and send their creation overseas - but not to terrorize the population of Europe, but to arouse in him awe of history.
Specifications and design features
It was possible to establish that Roskilde-6 was a drakkar, of incredible length - 37 m, with a hull width of 3.5 m, so this ship should be attributed to the class that gave rise to such giants as the legendary "Long Serpent" and " Big Dragon. Built around 1025, the beautiful boat was almost certainly royal property, and it is therefore difficult to avoid the temptation to attribute it to King Cnut, who then reigned in Denmark, Norway, England and southern Sweden.
Oak and T-shaped in cross-section, the keel reaches 32 m in length, consists of a central section and two nodes at the edges, to which it was attached by means of long overlap joints. The frames, spaced 78 cm apart, covered the first five plating belts, which turned the upper cross-beams connecting them (unfortunately, not preserved) into ideal cans for rowers. Light semi-frames, fitted and fixed between the frames, added strength to the third and fourth belts. The latter was further strengthened by a stringer, to which the lower beams were connected. Only a fragment of the kilson survived, resting on the frames and secured with horizontal elbows. The ship's sail size is estimated at 200 square meters. m. Taking into account also 78 rowers with long oars, the sight of such a leviathan must have been breathtaking. A real ship from the saga, it could easily accommodate 100 warriors, and, without a doubt, additional menacing and militancy was given to it, as always, by a superbly crafted dragon head (which, however, was not found).
Scheme of the surviving hull of the drakkar "Roskilde-6"
The reconstructed silhouette of the ship "Roskilde 6" in comparison with the silhouette of a man (in the bow).
The reconstruction of the ship "Roskilde 6" has not yet been, the most similar of the Viking ships found is the "Skuldelev 2" (Dan. Skuldelev 2 - Skullelev 2), which is 6 meters shorter than the "Roskilde 6". Long sea passages speak of the very good qualities of this ship. 
