World’s largest Viking ship sets sail to the U.S.

There will be no horn-topped hats, but other than that, the crossing of Viking ship Harald Hårfagre from Iceland to the United States is expected to emulate Leif Eriksson’s historical tenth century journey fairly accurately.

The Viking longship stands 35 metres long, and is the world’s largest longship constructed in modern times, reports The Local. Swedish captain Björn Ahlander is scheduled to sail the ship through some of the world’s most dangerous waters, just as Eriksson did more than 1000 years ago.

The ship departed yesterday, and it’s a good thing, as the Atlantic crossing is only possible in a small window of time — the month of May.

“We’re going across the world’s most dangerous waters, including around the southern tip of Greenland, with a lot of ice and cold,” Captain Ahlander told The Local. “We have no protection, it’s an open ship. If something happens, it’s extremely serious.”

Just in case things go terribly wrong, another more modern boat will accompany the ship on its crossing. The Harald Hårfagre does have modern navigational tools, and is also equipped with eighteenth century devices like log lines and magnetic and solar compasses, in case their electronics are knocked out.

The ship will sail with a 33-person crew, and will make numerous stops in Canada this summer before arriving at its final destination in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut.

Follow their epic journey on the ship’s Facebook page.