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American Adventurer Dies in Reenactment of Viking Voyage

Capsized rowboat
Courtesy Norwegian Coast Guard

Published Aug 28, 2024 7:09 PM by The Maritime Executive


On Wednesday, an American national was killed and five survivors were rescued after a Viking ship replica sank in foul weather off the coast of Norway.

The crew - an international team of adventurers - were attempting to recreate a Viking voyage using period-appropriate technology. They had set off in a 30-foot wooden skiff powered by oars and sails, bound from the Faroe Islands to Alesund, Norway. Their vessel, dubbed Naddoddur, was named for historical Norwegian explorer Naddodd, the discoverer of Iceland. The boat had a successful history of navigation in the North Sea and the Norwegian Sea on past expeditions. 

In pre-voyage blog posts, the organizers noted that they were aware that conditions wouldn't be "particularly calm," and they conducted safety trainings in advance for capsizings and other potential emergencies. Some of the crewmembers were experienced in ocean crossings, including Livar Nysted, a world-record-holding ocean rower from the Faroe Islands.

Courtesy Sail2North

On Tuesday, when they were about 60 miles off the port of Stad on Norway's west coast, they encountered rough conditions with waves of up to 15 feet. The crew sent a mayday at about 1800 hours Tuesday evening, according to Norwegian authorities, and a helicopter was dispatched to the scene. The aircrew found that the boat was not in distress and had issued a false alarm, according to Norwegian media. 

One hour later, the boat capsized, sending all six people over the side. A large-scale search with helicopters and surface assets ensued, aided by good Samaritan vessels. Conditions were difficult, with low visibility, high waves, winds of up to 40 knots and intermittent heavy rain. 

Five were rescued, but one remained missing, and the search continued into the night. The Norwegian Coast Guard vessel KV Bergen discovered the remains of a female passenger hours later.

Officials withheld the name of the deceased, but the expedition organizers have confirmed that the victim was U.S. resident Karla Dana, 29. The five survivors have been identified as skipper Andy Fitze, Livar Nysted, Saeny Blaser, Georg Aebi and Martin Fitze; all were in good health and uninjured.