Friends of the Viking Ship

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Geneva, IL
Friends of the Viking Ship

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Open Days with docent-led tours of the ship are scheduled monthly April - October.

The "Viking", a full size replica of the famous "Gokstad", sailed from Norway to New York in 1893. She then proceeded via the Hudson River, Erie Canal and Great Lakes to Chicago for the World's Coumbian Exposition of 1893

10/31/2026

𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 Facts & Figures: Between the strakes of 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 is a cord of tar-soaked wool, placed between the strakes before they were riveted together, to help keep the ship watertight. To further keep the wet out and the dry in, the Vikings covered the outside of their ships with a sticky, waterproof paste called pitch, made from pine resin.

10/31/2026

October 31, 1893
The 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘦 takes note as the World's Fair of 1893 comes to a close. The final tally of total attendance at the Fair stands at over 27.5 million people (to better understand how significant that was, the population of the US at that time was only about 63 million).

In the afternoon of the 31st, 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 will sail away from Jackson Park to begin her next adventure. Captain Andersen would later write, "a decision had already been made for the 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 to leave Chicago via the Illinois Canal and the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers—a departure that had to take place without delay to avoid the risk of ice obstructions, at least within the canal."

10/30/2026

𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 in the White City

10/28/2026

October 28, 1893
The World's Fair is ending. 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 has been offered to the Smithsonian National Museum, but will she be accepted? The costs to move her there would be daunting.

10/25/2026

𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 at the World's Fair

10/24/2026

Captain Andersen's lecture to the National Geographic Society was the beginning of a relationship that has spanned over 130 years. In its feature story on Vikings in March of 2017, 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 included a centerfold of a Viking ship based on our own 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨! In the summer of 2016, Senior Graphics Editor Fernando Baptista visited our ship and was given an extensive and informative tour by FOVS board member and docent Ken Nordan. Since our ship is an exact replica of the Gokstad ship, it offered Fernando, in his own words, to "feel and sense the ship" to inform his art work and the facts presented.

10/24/2026

October 24, 1893
While in Washington, D.C., Captain Andersen delivered a lecture to a packed house at the National Geographic Society meeting.

10/23/2026

October 23, 1893
In Washington, D.C., Captain Magnus Andersen meets with President Grover Cleveland and offers 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 to the American people. Captain Andersen would later write, "The Norwegians in Chicago...would therefore be very pleased if it could be kept in the country, and of course preferably in Washington, where even President Cleveland himself had promised to do what he could to have it placed in the park outside the White House."

10/19/2026

Thanks to all of you who visited our ship in 2026! We greatly appreciate your support and interest in 𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 and her story! If you still haven't had the chance to visit, no worries--Open Day tours will resume in April of 2027. And private group tours are still available in 2026--please see our website for more information: https://vikingship.us/visit/private-tours/

10/18/2026

𝘝𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 Facts & Figures: Starting from the keel--which is "T" shaped--her hull was constructed using overlapping planks, called strakes. This boat-building technique is called “clinker” (or clinched) construction. The strakes are “clinched” together with iron rivets. Where the strakes overlap, they are doubly strong. This “clinker” technique allowed Viking ships to be made of thin boards, but still be strong and waterproof.

Address

528 East Side Drive
Geneva, IL
60134

Telephone

+13312481903

Website

http://www.vikingship.us/

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