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Denmark’s lost Viking ships

In 1962, five Viking ships were discovered and excavated from the seabed of a Danish fjord.

In 1962, five ships dating back to the Viking age, were uncovered on the seabed of a Danish fjord.

The ships had been underwater for more than 900 years and their excavation required a lot of care.

A special dam was built in the middle of the fjord to allow teams to drain the area and access the delicate boats.

Girth Lerche was one of the many students involved in the excavation. She shares her memories of that summer with Tim O’Callaghan.

Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.

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(Photo: The ships being excavated in 1962. Credit: Viking Ship Museum)

Release date:

11 minutes

On radio

Fri 13 Nov 202608:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 13 Nov 202608:50GMT
  • Fri 13 Nov 202612:50GMT
  • Fri 13 Nov 202618:50GMT
  • Fri 13 Nov 202623:50GMT
  • Sat 14 Nov 202603:50GMT

Podcast