- Drekkar
Drekkar, translated as 'dragon ship', was a
longship used byScandinavia nVikings for raids during the 11th century AD. The Drekkar was designed to carry more troops that the standardGokstad longships, as many as 80 fully armed Vikings, while still being able to travel in shallow bodies of water, due to the ships being flat bottomed. Also, unlike the Gokstad, the Drekkar had high, planked decks that allowed the warriors on board to rainarrow s andspear s onto their enemies during naval battles. However, due to its size, over convert|90|ft|m long, the Drekkar was apparently less manoeuvrable in battle than its smaller counter, which was convert|76|ft|m long. To counter this weakness Drekkars were frequently lashed together in battle, creating a massive floating platform from which the king or commander of a Viking raider force commanded men. The tethered Drekkar platform tactic was best illustrated in the battle of Niså (1062) between KingsHarald III Hardrada ofNorway and King Sveinn Estridson ofDenmark . During the battle the Drekkar command platforms of the two Viking Kings became lashed together and fierce fighting, that lasted for several hours, erupted from the boarding action performed by the Viking forces.Bibliography
*"Warfare in the Medieval World" by Brian Todd Carey, Joshua B. Allfree, and John Cairns
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