The Tune ship was discovered in 1867 in the Båthaugen burial mound in Rolvsøy (now Fredrikstad), Viken province Norway, and was uncovered by the archaeologist and historian Oluf Rygh (1833-1899).
The Tune ship, by John Erling Blad 2007
However, the extraordinarily large burial mound, 4 m high and 80 m wide, had been disturbed. As local farmers used the earth, air got into it and started to decompose the grave. The subsequent excavation itself was not very helpful and led to further destruction. So that there are hardly any finds left today.
Drawing of the Tune ship from 1868. Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo
The grave
In the burial mound, the ship was oriented almost directly in a north-south direction. The inside of the ship was lined with moss and juniper. A burial chamber with a flat roof had been built in the middle of the nave. The walls were fixed in clay on the outside of the nave. Inside the burial chamber lay the mortal remains of a man and two of his horses, while a third one lay outside. On the basis of the remains of rich grave goods and his weaponry: a sword hilt, two spearheads, a shield boss and what are presumably the remains of chainmail. In addition the finds included a die, two beads, cloth remnants, parts of a ski, the remains of a saddle and a few carved pieces of wood of unknown purpose, it can be assumed that it was probably a man of the upper class with influence.
The ship
It was built around 910 A.D. and has a clinker hull made of oak. The ship probably had 12 rudder holes on each side.
The ship as it is exhibited at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo
This means a crew of 24 people plus a helmsman and a lookout. The ship was laid in the grave without oars. Therefore it can only be estimated at this point. But even though it was smaller than the two ships Gokstad and Oseberg, because, it was only 18.7 metres long, 4.2 metres wide, it had a stronger mast and could therefore probably carry a sail of 100 square metres. In terms of function it was not suitable for a merchant ship, if at all for light goods. It is rather assumed that it was therefore a Karfi or Karve, a small merchant ship which transported people back and forth like a ferry.
Reconstruction of the Tune ship, Illustration by Karl-Fredrik Keller, based on a reconstruction by Knut Paasche
