Cincinnati Museum Center Exhibits the Longest Viking Ship Ever Discovered

Illustration by MuseumsPartner

Bigger is better at the Cincinnati Museum Center, which features the longest Viking ship ever discovered—the Roskilde 6, on loan from the National Museum of Denmark—in its new Vikings: Beyond the Legend collection. Displayed for the first time in North America thanks to the museum’s massive and freshly renovated exhibit space, the 122-foot former warship is no Ark Encounter, but it is an original.

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo

Photograph by LuAnne DeMeo

Here’s what you should know about this remarkable exhibit:

• Number of oarsmen used to power the ship using its 39 pairs of oars: 78
• Maximum velocity of the Roskilde 6: 15 knots, or roughly 17 mph
• Scientific dating analysis indicates the vessel was constructed nearly 1,000 years ago with oak timber from southeastern Norway
• Number of specialists needed to prepare the Roskilde 6 for public viewing over a 10-day period: 5
• Relative capacity, accounting for the heavily armed warriors and sailors comprising the majority of occupants: 100
• Respective lengths of the Karl and  Krampmacken, two full-scale model Viking ships also on display at the Museum Center: 21′, 25′
• Number of other ships from the Viking era and Middle Ages unearthed along with the Roskilde 6: 8
• Weight (supports included) of the entire Roskilde 6 exhibit: 2.8 tons (or approximate mass of a white rhinoceros, Earth’s third-largest land mammal)
• What remains of the Roskilde 6 today, including inner portions of the boat, the hull, and the keel: 25%