A Viking replica crafted by a group of ex-military personnel in Darlington is to go on display at the Jorvik Viking Festival in York this week.
Over 100 former servicemen and women helped to build the replica, named Stormbird, as part of a project to develop coping strategies to counter the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Bob Marshall, chief executive of The Viking Boat Company, told Afloat that the time and concentration required from veterans who have joined the building project had helped with their mental health.
Stormbird, built from a donated oak that fell on D-Day, represents a unique blend of history, artistry, and a healing journey for veterans through carpentry and teamwork Photo: Bob Marshall
He said that many productive hours have been spent crafting the wood to make the replica which is based on a real, preserved Viking craft which was recovered in Denmark in the 1970s.
The project offers coaching in general carpentry, woodturning, carving, and metalwork from a beginner’s level.
The initial timber was a donated oak tree, felled on D-Day in 2018.
Work on the longboat began the following year, he says, and the design was based on plans supplied by the Maritime Museum in the Danish city of Roskilde.
The original target was for the boat to be displayed at the Jorvik Viking Festival in 2020, but as this was the year of the pandemic.
The intricate woodwork of the replica Viking vessel Stormbird reflects Darlington's heritage and the craftsmanship of ex-military personnel Photo: Bob Marshall
The team ranges from a 23-year-old participant whose dad was in the paratroopers to a 75-year-old Colin Laycock, who created the figurehead - a wyvern or type of mythical dragon-like creature that features in Darlington’s coat of arms.
After the York festival, it is hoped that Stormbird will make further “guest” appearances, and may even make it to Ireland, Marshall says.
