Draken at Mystic Seaport 2017
Norwegian Viking Ship Draken Harald Hårfagre To Host Guided Deck Tours This Summer In Advance of 2018 US East Coast Voyage
MYSTIC, CT [MAY 31, 2017] – The world’s largest Viking ship, the Draken Harald Hårfagre and Mystic Seaport announced today the ship will be open to the public for guided deck tours starting June 30 through September 4, 2017.
The cultural summertime attraction offers a rare opportunity for visitors to the renowned maritime museum to discover the historical Nordic Viking ship recreated to educate the world of the adventures of the Vikings over 1,000 years ago.
As part of an epic voyage beginning in April 2016, “Expedition America” saw the ship sail from Haugesund, Norway across the North Atlantic Ocean via the Shetland Islands, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and the St Lawrence Seaway. The vessel then journeyed through the Great Lakes before docking in New York City in summer 2016.
“We are thrilled to partner with one of the leading maritime museums in the US,” said Emanuel Persson, Draken Harald Hårfagre CEO and Expedition Director. “It is an honor to share our ship and story of the Vikings with visitors of Mystic Seaport as we prepare for the next leg of the ship’s American expedition and tour of the US east coast in 2018.”
“The Viking story and their voyages across the Atlantic are part of our shared maritime experience, and we are very excited to be able to partner with the Draken Harald Hårfagre, so they can tell that story firsthand at Mystic Seaport. There is no substitute for actually walking the deck of a ship to understand what it takes to venture across an ocean,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport.
Guided deck tours will be offered June 30-September 4, 2017 on Tuesday and Thursday, 1-5 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The last tour each day is at 4:30 p.m. The ship will be closed Mondays and Wednesdays. Tours will be conducted every 30 minutes and will cost $6 per person. Children age 3 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased on-site at the ship, or online in advance at www.drakenshop.com.
ABOUT THE DRAKEN HARALD HÅRFAGRE:
The Draken Harald Hårfagre is a clinker-built Viking longship launched in 2012. She is not a replica of a known ship but is a reconstruction of what the Norse Sagas refer to as a “Great Ship” based on historical documents — especially the Norse sagas — archeological findings, and Norwegian boat building traditions. She is the world’s largest Viking ship sailing in modern times. For more information, please visit www.draken.no/ and follow Draken Harald Hårfagre on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
ABOUT MYSTIC SEAPORT:
Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Founded in 1929, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial ship and the last wooden whaleship in the world. The Museum’s collection of more than two million artifacts includes more than 500 historic vessels and one of the largest collections of maritime photography in the country. The newly opened Thompson Exhibition Building provides a state-of-the-art gallery to host compelling, world-class exhibitions, beginning with the current show SeaChange. The Collections Research Center at Mystic Seaport provides scholars and researchers from around the world access to the Museum’s renowned archives. Mystic Seaport is located one mile south of Exit 90 off I-95 in Mystic, CT. Admission is $28.95 for adults ages 15 and older and $18.95 for children ages 4-14. Museum members and children three and younger are admitted free. For more information, please visit www.mysticseaport.org and follow Mystic Seaport on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
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For press inquiries, please contact:
DRAKEN HARALD HÅRFAGRE:
Emanuel Persson
emanuel@vikingkings.com
917.471.2245
MYSTIC SEAPORT:
Daniel McFadden
dan.mcfadden@mysticseaport.org
860.333.7155