Viking longships used a large square sail combined with oars for propulsion.
NOT BSTOTAL BS
NOT BS — Verdict: True
Verified by Lenz ·
The Short Version
The evidence strongly supports this description of Viking longships. Archaeological finds, ship reconstructions, museum research, and standard reference works all indicate that longships were propelled by both oars and a large square sail. The lack of surviving sail fabric affects fine details of sail construction, not the core conclusion.
Caveats
No complete Viking-age sail cloth has survived, so specific details about materials and exact construction rely on reconstruction rather than direct preservation.
The claim is strongest for Viking longships in general; not every vessel would have used sail and oars in exactly the same way under all conditions.
Lower-quality web sources repeat the same point, but the conclusion should rest on museum, archaeological, and scholarly references.