Long-fada

The long-fada is a battleship (that was possibly) in use by the Lordship of the Isles, the name of which means long ship (although in Gaelic, the word 'long' means 'ship'). They are built similar to birlinns, although are much bigger, possibly carrying up to forty men and all their supplies, and although they can sail in shallow water they cannot be taken across land. They often drag many rafts behind them, where the supplies are kept, and when they are not in use by the military these ships are used to assist in transporting items such as stone and iron to and from the Lordship.

The long-fada is a recent invention, and they are not often owned by tacksmen, but rather are reserved for the Lords of the Isles or the ruler of an administrative district. They may often be seen transporting people of great power, with an escort of birlinns (Donald, Lord of the Isles, is said by some, whose ancestors supposedly accompanied him, to have arrived on the mainland in a long-fada, in the campaign against Scotland that resulted in the Battle of Harlaw).

If you include the rafts, they can be up to a hundred feet in length, and are built of Norse oak to ensure that they do not break apart in Atlantic storms.