Drakkar Oseberg  1/50

The drakkar was the largest of the types of ships used by the Vikings (longskippy). Units of this type could be up to 45 meters long and had up to 34 pairs of oars, but more often drakkars were built with a length of about 20 to about 35 meters. Drakkars were offshore vessels that allowed them to sail freely on the North Sea or the Baltic Sea. At the same time, however, due to their shallow draft, they were perfect for sailing on European rivers, such as the Volga and the Seine. Drakkars also had plating built on the so-called overlaps, and their hulls usually had a width-to-length ratio of 7:1, making them very slender and enabling them to reach very high speeds, perhaps 13-15 knots. They were also characterized by a very solid structure and high seaworthiness. Both oars and a single square sail were used for propulsion. Each longship on the stem had a dragon's head, which was probably supposed to ward off the protective gods of the plundered city or settlement.