Police update after American dies on replica Viking ship sailing from Faeroe Islands to Norway

The survivors managed to get into an inflatable life raft and were later airlifted to safety by helicopter

This photo released by the The Norwegian Armed Forces/Coast Guard, shows the Viking ship replica, called Naddodd, where it was found Wednesday morning, Aug. 28, 2024

Police have given an update on the investigation into the death of a woman from America who died when a Viking ship replica capsized off Noway’s coast.

The wooden replica, called Naddodd, was crossing the North Atlantic from the Faeroe Islands to Norway with an international team of six people. The 10-meter (33-feet) double-masted vessel built on the Faeroes had departed the islands located halfway between Scotland and Iceland on Saturday.

A strong wave was likely responsible for the capsizing, police said on Thursday, describing it as a “tragic accident” that did not constitute a criminal matter.

On Tuesday, it sailed into strong winds and high waves and late that night, the ship capsized off the coastal town of Stad, about 346 kilometers (215 miles) from the capital of Oslo.

This photo released by the Norwegian Police shows the Viking ship replica, called Naddodd, moored at the quay

Survivors told police that the weather "suddenly turned significantly worse than predicted with very high waves.” Rescuers said some of the waves were up to 5 meters (16 feet) high at the time.

The five survivors had managed to get into an inflatable life raft and were later airlifted to safety by helicopter. A sixth person, who had been trapped underneath the vessel, drowned, police said. The victim’s body was found on Wednesday.

Police have not released the name of the victim but Norwegian and Faeroese media identified her as 29-year-old archaeologist Karla Dana, from Florida.

“Thrilled to be a part of this crew, fearlessly embarking on this Nordic voyage on a Viking ship replica across the North Sea, pushing through physical and mental limits to sail into history,” Dana had posted on her LinkedIn profile before the trip.

Her page describes her as an Archeologist & Field Researcher.

Adding: “I am an ethnographic field researcher, having conducted field research with the Ngöbe indigenous tribe in Costa Rica. “I have lived and studied in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Spain, England, Germany, Morocco, China and Taiwan. “Currently I am pursuing archeological studies and runology, with a focus on the Viking Era.”

On her page she recently shared a post about her journey saying explorers will set sail from the Faroe Islands to Trondheim, Norway aboard Naddoddur, a replica Viking ship, retracing the historic route of navigator Naddodd and keeping Viking culture and navigational prowess alive.