A huge part of Viking culture is shipbuilding without these expertly crafted ships Vikings would not have been able to accomplish such success and fame. The Vikings are most commonly known for their drekars or dragon-headed long ships which were used as troop carriers. These ships were built in a very unique way making it more efficient than other boats. Woodworkers used a broad ax to split oak tree trunks into long, thin planks. These planks would be fastened to a single sturdy keel with iron nails and then to each other creating an overlap. Next, the boat builders affixed evenly spaced floor boards to the keel and not to the hull, insuring resilience and flexibility. They then added crossbeams to provide a deck and rowing benches, and finally
