What was special about the Viking ships?

The Viking ship or, as the Scandinavian skalds called it, the “horse of the sea” played an important role in the trade and conquests of the northerners. On their ships, they sailed to the Black and Caspian Seas, and were also the first of the Europeans to reach North America. What was the peculiarity of their ships? The ships were built from overlapping pine boards, fastened with rivets, which gave lightness and flexibility – this was called clinker technology. The small draft of the ship, rectangular sail, the presence of a keel and reef seasons made the ship one of the best in Europe at that time.