No Viking ship has been “resurrected” more often than the Gokstad ship! Our informal survey has uncovered no fewer than 25 copies of varying sizes built over the past 130 years.
Text: Einar Chr. Erlingsen, Oseberg Viking Heritage
Research: Steinar Hvitstein, Gokstad Byggelag and Fredrik Bjønnes, Midgard Viking Centre
The first to build a Gokstad replica was the legendary Magnus Andersen—the sea captain, adventurer, and eventually newspaper founder from Larvik (he founded Norges Handels- og Sjøfartstidende, now Dagens Næringsliv). His Viking was fittingly built at Framnes in Sandefjord, launched in 1893, and sailed across the Atlantic and through the Great Lakes to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago that same year.
Since then, they’ve come like pearls on a string—some full-scale, one even significantly larger than the original, others so small that the term “ship” hardly applies. Some have gained fame and recognition; others met unfortunate and in one case tragic ends.
Why Gokstad?
The Oseberg ship is a jewel, the Klåstad ship is a knarr (merchant vessel)—but Gokstad is undoubtedly a chieftain’s ship, a robust vessel for long voyages or battle. It was also relatively well-preserved when uncovered in its burial mound. In contrast, Oseberg emerged in 2000 fragments, a massive jigsaw puzzle. Only about 40 percent of the Klåstad ship was preserved.
The preference for Gokstad is evident in the fact that, as far as we know, only three Oseberg replicas have been built (Dronningen, Åsa, and Saga Oseberg), and just two Klåstad ships (Saga Farmann and Hardraade—the latter to be launched on Lake Steinsfjorden on August 31st).
The most recent Gokstad replica is our own Saga Gokstad, currently under construction through a unique collaboration between Sandefjord and Tønsberg. Much of the timber is roughly hewn in Sandefjord before being transported by GAIA (also a Gokstad replica) to Tønsberg for final assembly at the shipyard.
What sets it apart
One very important distinction makes Saga Gokstad stand out from all previous replicas: it is the first true archaeological reconstruction. This means the work is based on precise scans and measurements of the original, new reconstruction drawings, and the use of authentic Viking Age tools and techniques. The same applies to the materials: Saga Gokstad is being built in oak, just like the original. Only two other replicas have used oak—Magnus Andersen’s Viking and the ill-fated Skidbladner.
We acknowledge there may be more Gokstad replicas than we have identified. For more information, visit Midgard Viking Centre’s website: https://vestfoldmuseene.no/rekonstruksjoner-av-gokstadskipet
Full-Scale Reconstructions of the Gokstad Ship
Viking
- Year Built: 1893
- Location: Framnes, Sandefjord
- Status: On display in Geneva, Illinois
- Notes: Full-scale oak reconstruction. The first Gokstad replica and the first to cross the Atlantic. Participated in the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.
Leiv Erikson
- Year Built: 1893
- Location: Framnes, Sandefjord
- Status: Lost
- Notes: Full-scale replica based on Viking. Built for display in Tivoli, Copenhagen. Ended up as a barge on Dutch canals; possibly burned in Belgium during WWII.
Hugin
- Year Built: 1949
- Location: Denmark
- Status: On display in Pegwell Bay, Kent
- Notes: Full-scale replica.
Ormen Friske
- Year Built: 1949
- Location: Stensund, Sweden
- Status: Lost at sea
- Notes: 30 meters long—larger than the original Gokstad (23.8 m). Sank on June 22, 1950, near the island of Pellworm in the German Bight. All 15 crew members perished.
Hjemkomst
- Year Built: 1980
- Location: Hawley, Minnesota
- Status: On display at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, MN
- Notes: Full-scale replica. Sailed to Norway in 1982 and was shipped back via freighter.
Gaia
- Year Built: 1990
- Location: Bjørkedalen, Sunnmøre
- Status: Operated by Gaia Boat Association in Sandefjord
- Notes: Sailed by Ragnar Thorseth across the Atlantic in 1991. Visited several ports on the American West Coast and ended its journey at the Rio Earth Summit. Gifted to Sandefjord in 1993.
Sigrid Storråda
- Year Built: 1993–95
- Location: Skellefteå, Sweden
- Status: Operated by the Viking Ship Society Sigrid Storråda
- Notes: Full-scale Gokstad replica sailing on Lake Vänern. Has also voyaged to Norway and the Baltic.
Islendingur
- Year Built: 1996
- Location: Iceland
- Status: On display at Víkingaheimar in Iceland
- Notes: Full-scale replica that sailed from Iceland to L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, and on to New York in 2000.
Skidbladner
- Year Built: 1998/99
- Location: Liljeholmen, Stockholm
- Status: On display in Shetland after a failed attempt to sail to America in 2000.
- Notes: Full-scale oak replica. Banned from use due to a design flaw; the clinker-built frames cracked during crane lifting.
Dreknor
- Year Built: 2008
- Location: Carentan, Normandy, France
- Status: Operated by Dreknor Carentan boat team
- Notes: Part of a surge in Viking interest in France. More at: https://www.cjadrien.com/p/france-the-viking-obsession-you-didnt
Saga Gokstad
- Year Built: 2019–2027
- Location: Sandefjord/Tønsberg
- Status: Under construction
- Notes: The first full-scale archaeological oak reconstruction. Built by the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation.
Scaled-Down Reconstructions
Odins Ravn
- Year Built: 1978
- Location: Norway
- Status: On display at House of Mannanan, Peel, Isle of Man
- Notes: 2/3 scale.
Havørn
- Year Built: 1984
- Location: Borgundgavlen, Sunnmøre
- Status: Now part of Bork Viking Harbor in Denmark
- Notes: Approx. 16 meters. Wrecked near the Faroe Islands, repaired, and in 1992 sailed to
- Istanbul via Russian rivers.
Vinland
- Year Built: 1990
- Location: Lake Geneva
- Status: Lost
- Notes: Scaled-down replica that sank in the Mediterranean in 2010.
Lofotr
- Year Built: 1992
- Location: Lofoten
- Status: 2/3 scale
- Notes: Part of the Lofotr Viking Museum experience.
Olav Tryggvason / Haakon Haakonsson
- Year Built: 1997
- Location: Bjørkedalen, Sunnmøre
- Status: Operated by the Viking Group Haakon Haakonsson in Bergen
- Notes: 2/3 scale. Built for Trondheim’s millennium celebration. Sold to Bergen enthusiasts in 2003.
Vargfotr
- Year Built: 2000
- Location: Poland
- Status: Sailed/rowed at Lofotr Viking Museum during summer
- Notes: 2/3 scale.
Vesteinn
- Year Built: 2008
- Location: Iceland
- Status: In use
- Notes: Just under 12 meters.
Aimar
- Year Built: 2010
- Location: Estonia
- Status: Located at Käsmu Maritime Museum
- Notes: 9-meter scaled replica based on a six-oared boat found inside the Gokstad ship.
Thule
- Year Built: 2010–2011
- Location: Estonia
- Status:
- Notes: 1/4 scale (6.7 m long, 1.7 m wide)
Neyve
- Year Built: 2010–2011
- Location: Estonia
- Status: On display as part of Estonia’s Viking heritage presentation
- Notes: 1/4 scale.
Gungnir
- Year Built: 2001
- Location: Sweden
- Status: Located in Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
- Notes: 18-meter replica.
Munin
- Year Built: 2001
- Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
- Status: On display at the Scandinavian Community Centre in Burnaby
- Notes: Half-scale.
Ratatosk
- Year Built: 2001
- Location: Norway
- Status: Owned by Vikings of Middle England Re-enactment Society
- Notes: 1/4 scale.
Translated from Norwegian by ChatGPT