A newly built boat, Godfred, has been officially named and launched at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark.
Constructed at the adjacent Roskilde shipyard, the vessel will soon travel to the United States of America, where it will take pride of place at the Solvang Viking Museum in California.
The Gokstad connection
The new boat is modeled on a vessel belonging to the Gokstad ship burial in Norway.
Discovered in 1880, the Gokstad burial site revealed a majestic 24-meter, 9th-century Viking ship. The site also revealed a number of other notable finds, including the remains of a middle-aged man, several animals, and three boats—Godfred is a replica of the largest Gokstad boat.
The new vessel is the result of six months of hard labor at the Roskilde shipyard. Here, expert craftsmen employ authentic Viking Age techniques to create recreations of historical vessels.
Previous highlights include several replicas of the famous Skuldelev ships, which were found just a few miles from Roskilde and are today held at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde.
The proximity of the shipyard to the museum means the construction team is able to work alongside Viking Age historians and archeologists to ensure each vessel is made according to authentic models.
The nearby Roskilde Fjord, on the other hand, provides a perfect launching place for new boats and ships.
The boat was christened at the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum on August 13. Photo: Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde
The first taste of water
Launch day for the new boat came on Wednesday, August 13. As the museum reports, the boat's entry into the water at Roskilde Fjord was greeted with cheers and applause from onlookers.
The boat's name, Godfred, was revealed by the mother of the Solvang Viking Museum's founder, René Gross Kærskov. René himself then became the boat's very first passenger, with friends, family, and museum staff looking on.
The boat, which sported a fetching yellow and red ochre sail, measures 9.77 meters in length and 1.86 meters in width. It was constructed by boatbuilders Søren Nielsen, Martin Lok Jørgensen, and Bodo von Husen, and has a weight of approximately 320 kilos.
As per local tradition, the new vessel received a splash of water from the local Roskilde spring, Maglekilde, to mark its transition from land to the sea.
As part of the ceremony, Godfred enjoyed a leisurely trip in Roskilde Fjord alongside the Viking Ship Museum's own Gokstad boat.
Both vessels were made using the distinctive clinker technique, where the edges of longitudinal hull planks overlap each other to ensure greater strength and flexibility.
Yet while many of the vessels constructed at the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum are made available for sailing on the fjord or even for long-distance journeys, Godfred will spend much of its lifespan on display to museum visitors.
- READ MORE: All you need to know about Viking ships
As part of the launch, Godfred joined the Viking Ship Museum's Gokstad boat for a short trip on Roskilde Fjord. Photo: Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde
The transatlantic trip
Indeed, with the ceremony complete, the Godfred can now be packed into a 12-meter container and shipped across the Atlantic.
It will then be delivered to the Solvang Viking Museum, where it will be placed on display as part of an exhibition at the museum focusing on Viking maritime technology and transatlantic connections.
The town of Solvang was founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants, and the museum was established to celebrate the settlement's Scandinavian roots.
This boat is the second Gokstad reconstruction that the Roskilde boatbuilders have built for the museum, after Snorri, which was delivered in 2023. Visitors to Solvang can also look forward to viewing authentic Norse weapons and exhibits from the hit TV series Vikings.
"The Viking ship helps keep the connection to Denmark alive," commented René Gross Kærskov to the Viking Ship Museum's website. "Our two Viking boats serve as a physical manifestation of the impressive boatbuilding technology that enabled people in the Viking Age to travel far and wide—even to North America."
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