Gaia ship
![]() Gaia in Oslo, 2014
| |
History | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Name | Gaia ship |
Namesake | Greek goddessGaia |
Operator | Gokstad Coastal Team (Gokstad kystlag)[4] |
Builder | Jacob Bjørkedal |
Completed | 1990[1] |
Homeport | Sandefjord, Norway[2][3] |
Status | Active |
General characteristics | |
Type | Viking ship replica(Museum ship) |
Tonnage | 26 |
Length | 23.80 metres (78.1 ft) |
Beam | 5.10 m (16.7 ft) |
Height | 18 metres (59 ft) (mast) |
Draught | 0.85 metres (2.8 ft) |
Propulsion | Sail and oars, auxiliary engine |
Sail plan | 230 m² |
Speed | max. 10 kn (19 km/h) |
Complement | 40 passengers[5] |
TheGaia shipis areplicaof the 9th century Viking shipGokstad ship.It was built in 1990 and departedBergenfor North America on 17 May 1991. It was namedHav-Cellaprior to departing but was renamedGaiabyVigdís Finnbogadóttir,President of Iceland, during a stopover in Iceland.Gaiais the name for the goddess of the Earth in Greek mythology. The Gaia Ship reachedNewfoundlandon 2 August and Washington DC onLeif Erikson Day,9 October 1991.[6][7]It further sailed to theRio de Janeiro Earth Summitvia theFaroe Islands,Iceland,Greenland,andNorth America.[8]
With the completion of Museum's Wharf bySandefjord Museumin the summer of 1995,Gaiaand the newly restoredSouthern Actorwere permanently placed on the wharf where they remain accessible to the public.[9][10][11]
The ship can be rented for private tours in the fjord.[12][13]
History
[edit]In the late 1980s,Knut Utstein Klosterwas cosponsoring a millennial celebration for Leif Eriksson's voyage to North America, "Vinland Revisited." To re-enact this voyage, Kloster requested an exact replica of the 1,000-year-oldGokstad ship.[14]
The Gaia Ship is an exact replica of the Gokstad Ship. It was constructed during the winter of 1989–1990 inBjørkedalinVolda.It was named Gaia on 19 June 1991 byVigdis Finnbogadottir,the President ofIceland,during a voyage to North America. In May 1993, the vessel was donated to the city ofSandefjordfromKnut Utstein Klosterfrom the Gaia Ship Foundation. The ship's oak mast is constructed in one piece and stone provides ballast. It can reach ten knots under its full canvas, which is 120 sq. m., and it has sixteen pairs of oars. On 17 May 1991 it was sailed byRagnar Thorsethto North America to mark the 1000th anniversary ofLeif Eriksson's founding ofVinland.[15]While in on its voyage, a number of prominent people visited the ship, including PresidentGeorge H. W. Bushin the U.S. andFidel Castroin Cuba.[16]
Earth Summit
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Gaia_viking_skip.jpg/250px-Gaia_viking_skip.jpg)
While preparing for the Smithsonian conference, ownerKnut Utstein Klosterconsidered other ways the ship could serve a purpose. After considering the upcomingEarth Summitscheduled for Brazil in June 1992, he worked with World City America, Inc. CEOJohn S. Rogersin New York andMaurice Strongat the UN to make sure the ship sailed on toRio de Janeiroafter its stop in Washington DC. Agreement was made withUNICEFExecutive DirectorJames P. Grantto let Gaia sail under the UNICEF banner "keep the promise for a better world for all children." In the United States, Gaia first anchored in New York at theEast Riveroutside the UN headquarters on Manhattan. School children read messages addressed to world leaders. After Washington DC, Gaia sailed on toPort Canaveralwhere astronautJim LovellandJim Lovelockaddressed a crowd at the ship. From Florida, Gaia sailed toCuba,Mexico,theDominican Republic,Puerto Rico,Jamaica,Antigua,Guadeloupe,Martinique,St. Lucia,Trinidad,Venezuela,Guyana,Suriname,andManaus, Brazil.[17]It was a 15,000-mile journey from Norway to Brazil.[18]
QueenSonja of Norwayand PresidentVigdís FinnbogadóttirofIcelandwaited at the harbor for Gaia's arrival in Washington DC. PresidentGeorge H. W. Bushwent on board the ship with two of his grandsons.[19]
Kloster's World City Discovery in co-operation withAFS Intercultural Programsgathered 150 school children representing 43 countries at the Gaia Camp Amazonas.Manaus,the capital of the Brazilian state ofAmazonas,embraced the idea of a Gaia Camp Amazonas, and a 28-hectare (69-acre) public park with hiking trails was established. The park would serve as aliving laboratoryas a rainforest microcosm. The park's layout and planning were done by theUniversity of Costa Rica.The children at Gaia Camp Amazonas spent a total of three weeks constructing trails, steps, bridges, and resting areas in Manaus's Gaia Park. Interpretive signs were also installed describing the local wildlife and flora.[20]
See also
[edit]Literature
[edit]- Vinner, Max (2002).Boats of the Viking Ship Museum(Viking Ship Museum)ISBN978-8785180636
- Williams, Gareth (2014).The Viking Ship(British Museum Press)ISBN978-0714123400
- Wexelsen, Einar (1981).Gokstadfunnet: et 100-års minne / The Gokstad Excavations: Centenary of a Norwegian Viking Find(Sandefjordmuseene).ISBN82-990595-2-6.
External links
[edit]- The Gaia ship has been featured in several TV productions, including "Voyage to the Future".[21]
References
[edit]- ^Lomax, Judy (2019).Norway.Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson Limited. Page 62.ISBN978-1-84623-894-9.
- ^Gjerseth, Simen (2016).Nye Sandefjord.Liv forlag. Page 277.ISBN978-82-8330-113-7.
- ^Lomax, Judy (2019).Norway.Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson Limited. Page 62.ISBN978-1-84623-894-9.
- ^Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (2000).Sandefjord i bilder / Sandefjord in pictures.Grafisk studio forlag. Page 16.ISBN82-90636-02-4.
- ^Lunde, Stig-Tore (1996).Gaia: Gokstadskipet, kopien og miljøskipet.Sandefjordmuseene. Pages 14-15.
- ^Nougier, Louis-René (1994).Vikinger og indianere.Faktum. Page 59.ISBN82-540-0198-7.
- ^Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (2000).Sandefjord i bilder / Sandefjord in pictures.Grafisk studio forlag. Page 16.ISBN82-90636-02-4.
- ^Olstad, Finn (1997).Sandefjords historie B.2: En vanlig småby?Sandefjord kommune. Page 398.ISBN82-993797-2-5.
- ^Olstad, Finn (1997).Sandefjords historie. B. 2: En vanlig småby?Sandefjord kommune. Page 394.ISBN82-990595-8-5.
- ^Davidsen, Roger (2010).Et sted i Sandefjord: lokalhistorisk stedsnavnsleksikon.Sandar historielag. Page 336.ISBN978-82-994567-7-7.
- ^Danielsen, Kristin (1999).Norway arts directory.Visiting Arts. Page 250.ISBN1-902349-16-4.
- ^Bjoraa, Knut (1995).Sykkelopplevelser på Østlandet.Aschehoug. Page 26.ISBN82-03-22094-0.
- ^Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (2000).Sandefjord i bilder / Sandefjord in pictures.Grafisk studio forlag. Page 16.ISBN82-90636-02-4.
- ^Gallagher, Stephanie (2011).True North: A Flickering soul in no man's land; Knut Utstein Kloster, father of the $40-billion-a-year modern cruise industry.iUniverse. Page 98.ISBN978-1-4620-4152-7.
- ^Bertelsen, Hans Kristian (2000).Sandefjord i bilder / Sandefjord in pictures.Grafisk studio forl. Page 16.ISBN82-90636-02-4.
- ^Lunde, Stig-Tore (1996).Gaia: Gokstadskipet, kopien og miljøskipet.Sandefjordmuseene. Page 14.
- ^Gallagher, Stephanie (2011).True North: A Flickering soul in no man's land; Knut Utstein Kloster, father of the $40-billion-a-year modern cruise industry.iUniverse. Pages 104-106.ISBN978-1-4620-4152-7.
- ^Gallagher, Stephanie (2011).True North: A Flickering soul in no man's land; Knut Utstein Kloster, father of the $40-billion-a-year modern cruise industry.iUniverse. Pages 119-120.ISBN978-1-4620-4152-7.
- ^Gallagher, Stephanie (2011).True North: A Flickering soul in no man's land; Knut Utstein Kloster, father of the $40-billion-a-year modern cruise industry.iUniverse. Page 107.ISBN978-1-4620-4152-7.
- ^Gallagher, Stephanie (2011).True North: A Flickering soul in no man's land; Knut Utstein Kloster, father of the $40-billion-a-year modern cruise industry.iUniverse. Pages 106-108.ISBN978-1-4620-4152-7.
- ^Lunde, Stig-Tore (1996).Gaia: Gokstadskipet, kopien og miljøskipet.Sandefjordmuseene. Pages 14-15.