The Rodil Ship

Eulogised by the bards, the birlinn is the best known of the early Hebridean ships, and if every word that describes their capabilities in the able hands of the island chieftains and their stalwart crewmen can be believed, they were no less capable than their larger contemporaries, the long-fada. The sculptor who so meticulously carved the Rodil ship had more than just exalted praise in his mind: from his finished work it is obvious he had intimate knowledge of the vessels to be able to furnish such accurate detail of boat and rigging, and we are indeed fortunate to have this example of his skill and knowledge; without a doubt, the finest in existence.

From this sculpture we can, firstly, appreciate the size of the vessel. Seventeen oar-ports along the side indicate that this ship was at least 75 feet in length (24 metres), which is comparable in size to the burial ship excavated in Norway, in 1880, now in the Viking Ship Hall at Bygdoy. It measures 23-24 metres. But there the similarity ends. The Rodil ship represents the image given by the ancient bards, which, in complememnting the design details, and the knowledge we have of Norse construction methods, combine to present us with as clear a picture as is possible of the birlinn.

Probably the most striking feature of the birlinn is the rudder, and the method of mounting it to the stern-post, by means of iron pintles and gudgeons - a technique which remains virtually unchanged on many island boats today. The longships, on the other hand, were steered by means of a side-mounted steering oar, Old Norse styr-bord, from which comes the nautical term for the right hand of any vessel - starboard.

The earliest known vessel which employed a stern mounted rudder was the Hansa, or Frisian 'Cog', Old Norse kuggr, from which developed the Norse ships of burthen, such as the knarr and the byrthing. Such a method of steering was more effective on account of the deeper draught of a cargo carrying ship. This is a fairly clear indication of the relationship between the byrding and the birlinn.

There is no indication of how the rudder was actuated, no physical link is shown; a normal 'fore and aft' tiller could not be used, as the high stern post would restrict movement from port to starboard. Therefore we can assume that some form of linkage was required to connect to a short side-mounted tiller, which in turn allowed the helmsman to exert pressure in the necessary direction.

The deeper draft, and the reverse curvature of the lower part of the underbody of the ship, is also quite distinct from the shallower drafted longships and karfi; bringing us back again to the Norse ships of burthen, which were similarly designed. There may have been 'hybrid' versions, though this is unlikely, as the shipbuilding trade had reached a degree of perfection, unsurpassed by modern technology: whereby certain vessels were built for specific purposes, and those designed as war-ships would be unsuitable for cargo use. Notwithstanding that cargo vessels could be, and were, acquisitioned for fighting purposes, they could not be regarded as hybrid.

The juncture of the hull planking with the stem and stern post is another indication of the vessel's pedigree; a typically Norse method, where the ends of each strake were 'stepped' rather than following a continuous rebate line. This is an advantage where there is a long and upward curving stern-post, which would otherwise result in long tapering strake ends with little or no inherent strength on account of the shortening grain.

The propulsion method is the same for as for all other ships of this period; a combination of oar and sail, which could be used on their own or (within limitations) together. The oar-ports are shown with the slots which allow the long oars to be shipped from inboard - on account of their length and weight. More details of the rigging and sail will be given later; but there is one interesting point that some have interpreted as an error on the part of the sculptor. That is the positioning of the braces at a point some distance from the outboard ends of the yard; at which point less leverage could be applied. True! but if the braces were fixed at the outer ends of what was a fairly long spar, there was more likelihood of breakage from increased leverage, or pressure of wind on an otherwise unsupported length of spar. Also, when the sail was either partially or fuly reefed, the increased angle of the braces from a lower position would have required relatively more effort to control. I am quite convinced the sculptor got it right.

Two minor details on this carving are also worthy of note; and these are, firstly, the 'tusk' or tenon, terminating the stem and sternpost. It has been suggested that'Dragon head' emblems or such like were fitted here, but there is no reference to embellishments of this nature in songs or lore of the birlinn. A logical use could be for securing a rope to form a tent ridge, or even to support the lowered yard-arm, when the sail could be used to provide shelter, if on some occasions it should be necessary to spend nights on board the ship, either for its safety, or if no suitable landing place was avaialable to put the crew ashore. Another possible and even more likely use could be for locating and securing the fore and aft 'castles' which were fitted when rigged for battle. The second detail is the row of carved 'knobs' or beads on the fore part of the stern. There is no obvious practical use for this, and I can only conclude that this represented, in stylised form, the traditional practice of the Vikings, where each member of the ship's crew drove an iron nail into the stern post, to ensure a succesful voyage. Superstition abounds among fishermen and sailors; it is still common practice to place coins in the joint between keel and stem on new boats, for good fortune.

Extracted from Birlinn - Longships of the Hebrides by John MacAulay, published by White Horse Press with the kind permission of the author and the publisher. John MacAulay's book is now, unfortunately, out of print but it is hoped a new edition may soon be produced.