LEIF ERIKSSON DISCOVERER OF AMERICA? - BY AWAKE! WRITER IN DENMARK

HOW DID THE VIKINGS NAVIGATE?

The Norse Vikings had no compasses.  How, then, did they come to be such excellent sailors?  When not sailing in open seas, they sailed with a coast in sight.  When possible they crossed a strait at a point where land could be seen on both sides.  In addition, they knew how to follow the sun and the stars. For example, they used a simple system to determine their latitude, employing a table of figures for each week of the year and a measuring stick to gauge the height of the midday sun above the horizon.  Because they had no system for determining longitude, when they were in open seas they preferred   to sail due east or due west, following a chosen latitude.

 If, for instance, they wanted to travel from Greenland to a position on the Vinland coast, they would sail south from Greenland until they found the correct latitude; then they would turn due west and find the desired  harbor.  Also, bird-watching was useful to a Viking crew in open seas.  They were experts in deducing where there was-by observing birds in flight.  They sometimes took ravens with them; when freed, the birds would soar and take flight toward the nearest coast.  The Viking crew than knew where to find the nearest land. 

Another aid to navigation was the taking of soundings. A Viking sailor would lower a line with a dead weight attached. This served two purposes. First, it enabled him to determine the water's depth. After the weight struck bottom, the sailor would haul in the line, using the span  of his arms to measure its length.  To this day, mariners measure depth in terms of the six-foot "fathom," a term derived from and old Norse word meaning "outstretched arms."  But the lead weight had a second function. Often, it was made with a hollow bottom that was filled with tallow. Thus, the weight would bring up a sample of the seafloor.  The sailor would examine the composition of the sample and consult  his sea charts, which contained written descriptions of the makeup of the seabed in various locations. Simple though their tools were, the Vikings became outstanding navigators. 

Next time: LEIF ERIKSSON DISCOVERER OF AMERICA? -BY AWAKE WRITER IN DENMARK/ What Evidence? 

From the Awake! magazine