168 



WAR-SHIP*. 



often described as a fifteen, twenty, thirty -seater, or more, 

 without having its proper appellation given to it, and the 

 length can only be approximately given. 



In no Saga are we told the length of a ship, and only in 

 one instance, that of the Long Serpent of Olaf Tryggvason, 

 is it partially given. Fortunately, from the Nydam, Gokstad, 

 and Tune boats we can approximate the distance between 

 each rower's seat, but the space varied according to the size 

 of the ship ; and the larger the ship, the wider the space, as 

 the oars became longer and required more room to ply 

 them. 



Fig. 992. 



Fig. 993. 1 real size. 

 Fragments of wood from Gokstad ship. 



The Nydam vessel is a fourteen-seater and about 76 feet in 

 length : of this about 40 feet are taken up by the rowers' 

 seats, the remaining 30 feet being the spaces fore and aft. 

 The space between each oar thole is 3 feet 2 inches. 



The length of the twenty-seater must have been about 110 

 feet ; that of the twenty-five seater, about 130 feet ; of the 

 thirty-seater, about 155 feet; and of the thirty-four seater, the 

 Long Serpent of Olaf Tryggvason, about 180 feet. Taking the 

 rise from the keel to stem and to stern, this cannot, in a vessel 



