The Longship

The Longship was the thoroughbred racing warship. It was usually about 25m/ 80ft long. Each gunwale was pierced with holes for oars, and a single mast stepped amidships carried a large, square sail. This gave the Longships speed and manoeuvrability and their shallowness of draught allowed them to penetrate rivers They needed no harbours for they were designed to be beached on any shelving sandy shore.