Viking Ship to Sail Again...On the Fox River?

By Karl Klockars in News on Jun 26, 2008 6:58PM

In the eternal battle of Ninjas v. Pirates, the dark-horse winner is always Vikings.* They've got huge ships, their funerals are awesome, they love mead and ravage Scotswomen. What's not to like? And, perhaps in recognition of the accomplishments of Vikings through the ages (cough*discoveringAmerica*cough), the Geneva-based Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley are re-assembling an ancient Viking vessel replica that debuted at the World's Columbian Exposition.

After being constructed in Norway in 1892 based on an 800 A.D. ship found buried in a grave, the ship cruised to Newfoundland and New York before wowing crowds at the 1893 Expo. After that, it just kinda went to shit. After decaying in Jackson Park, it moved to the Lincoln Park Zoo, followed by a trip to West Chicago, and finally ending up in the hands of the PPFV. Even with a $52k grant, the group won't estimate how long the restoration will take, or how much it will cost - but if/when it's complete, we hope to be there, swilling horns of ale and toasting to Odin's beard.

*Full disclosure: Author is extremely Scandinavian. Some Viking bias may be present.

Ship photo from karla kaulfuss.