Viking Ship in Russian Waters
Archaeology » Heritage sites» Viking Ship in Russian Waters
Location
near Vyborg

Country
Russia

Year of Research
1880

Culture
  • The wreck of a ninth or tenth century Viking ship belonging to the Varenghi, a Viking tribe, has been set up in the Dalnaja Bay near Vyborg, Russia.
  • The same methods were used about the similar time by the Pomeranian tribes of the Baltic Sea.
  • During the ship's duration, a breach in one of the hull boards was repaired with a small piece of cloth in a manner similar to a patch on another tenth-century Viking ship found in 1880 at Gokstad, Norway.
  • Sections of the lower part of the hull and a long piece of the keel are well preserved, enlightening much about the ship's construction.
  • The planks were fastened together with iron nails, wooden pegs, and tarred cord; the oak boards of the hull were dovetailed together about every four inches.
  • The design of the Dalnaja ship suggests that it is earlier than Gokstad, but radiocarbon dating will be needed to establish its age more firmly.
  • The discovery was made by Baltika 96, a joint expedition of the Center for Russian Underwater Archaeology and and Archeoclub the Italia, the Italian national amateur archaeology society, which was surveying the waters of Dalnaja Bay.