This is the story of one of the world's most effective war machines: the Viking longship. Over the centuries, longships evolved from swift war canoes to become the preeminent fighting machines of the age. For over 200 years, Vikings depended on these vessels to carry them across the ocean to trade and to plunder. With names such as Surf Dragon and Great Serpent, these ships became part of Viking culture and took on almost magical properties. They were elegant, versatile, and feared. But what was the secret behind their power? We examine the story of longships and those who built them, a warrior people who were often violent, terrifying, and bloody...but also expert craftsmen. The Vikings and their ships changed the course of history.

Doomed Vessels explores the human errors that condemned great ships to a tragic end, including the Vasa, a 17th-century combat ship that sank on her maiden voyage, and K-13, an experimental British submarine that sank in 1917 with the loss of 32 crewmen.