The Oseberg Ship

This volume presents a new reconstruction of the Norwegian Viking-Age ship from Oseberg, dated to 820 AD. In 1987 a full-scale reconstruction of the ship, was built based on drawings made of the exhibited ship. The reconstruction, Dronningen, capsized and sank during the first test-sailing, giving rise to many questions, concerning the ships original performance. The purpose of the present work has been to reconstruct the ship’s form and construction anew. In 2012, a new full-scale reconstruction, Saga Oseberg, was built based on the new reconstruction. The subsequent test-sailing revealed that the Oseberg Ship was originally technically advanced and seaworthy, and the former skepticism regarding the ship’s sailing abilities can now be disproved.