Viking Knarr (Cargo Ship)

The sturdy Norse cargo vessel that crossed the Atlantic/Historical

The knarr was the Norse cargo ship that made Viking expansion across the North Atlantic possible, carrying settlers, livestock, and supplies to Iceland, Greenland, and briefly North America around 1000 AD. Unlike the sleek longship designed for raiding, the knarr was broader and deeper, optimized for cargo capacity. A typical knarr was about 16 m long, 5 m wide, and could carry 24 tonnes of cargo. The Skuldelev 1 wreck, excavated from Roskilde Fjord in Denmark, is one of the best-preserved examples.