From the Introduction: This small ship of Viking origin is considerably smaller then the longships that coastal towns fear far and wide. This fact often leads to people wrongly dismissing them as a threat. This small Skúta often serve as scouts and couriers for larger raiding forces as well as couriers and supply ships. They are able to navigate water too shallow even for the notorious longships and are still able to carry a considerable amount of warriors. This particular ship has room for seven oarsmen on either side. When used to haul supplies they are usually fastened on deck, as storage space below the planks of the deck is sparse. If the ship is to be used for war or raiding or just for long travels it carries a second compliment of oarsman instead. At worst this small ship can outpace even mounted couriers while sailing up a river to disgorge a compliment of thirty hardened warriors. The ship itself is rather plain and built with utility in mind. Unlike larger and often representative longships it is not richly decorated. Its sail bearing the owners colors and the shields of the oarsmen usually are the only thing distinguishing it from any other ship like it.