Drekar (sing. Dreki, from latin Draco), translated as 'dragon ships', was a name for the
longshipLong-ships were ships made and used by the Vikings to raid coastal and inland settlements during the Viking Age. The vessels were also used for long distance trade and commerce, and for exploratory voyages to Iceland, Greenland, throughout the mediterranean etc. Longship design evolved over several...
used by
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
n Vikings for raids during the 11th century AD.
The Drekar were designed to carry more troops that the standard
longshipLong-ships were ships made and used by the Vikings to raid coastal and inland settlements during the Viking Age. The vessels were also used for long distance trade and commerce, and for exploratory voyages to Iceland, Greenland, throughout the mediterranean etc. Longship design evolved over several...
s, exemplified in the Gokstad longship, 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 Drekar had high, planked decks that allowed the warriors on board to rain
arrowAn arrow is a pointed projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.- Structure :A normal arrow consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other....
s and
spearA spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze...
s onto their enemies during naval battles.
However, due to its size, over long, the Drekar were apparently less manoeuvrable in battle than its smaller counter, which was long.
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Drekar (sing. Dreki, from latin Draco), translated as 'dragon ships', was a name for the
longshipLong-ships were ships made and used by the Vikings to raid coastal and inland settlements during the Viking Age. The vessels were also used for long distance trade and commerce, and for exploratory voyages to Iceland, Greenland, throughout the mediterranean etc. Longship design evolved over several...
used by
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
n Vikings for raids during the 11th century AD.
The Drekar were designed to carry more troops that the standard
longshipLong-ships were ships made and used by the Vikings to raid coastal and inland settlements during the Viking Age. The vessels were also used for long distance trade and commerce, and for exploratory voyages to Iceland, Greenland, throughout the mediterranean etc. Longship design evolved over several...
s, exemplified in the Gokstad longship, 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 Drekar had high, planked decks that allowed the warriors on board to rain
arrowAn arrow is a pointed projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.- Structure :A normal arrow consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other....
s and
spearA spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze...
s onto their enemies during naval battles.
However, due to its size, over long, the Drekar were apparently less manoeuvrable in battle than its smaller counter, which was long. To counter this weakness Drekar 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 Kings Harald III Hardrada of
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
and King Sveinn Estridson of
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
.
During the battle the Drekar 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.