The Norseman

In 1980, one of the ships from movie was recovered in the mangrove swamps of Hillsboro County, FL. A research team from Norway, leas by one Odden Byrd, working with the University of Tampa came in to supervise the salvage and recovery of the boat with the intent of restoring it and sailing it back to Scandinavia, but the boat broke apart and sank while being towed across Tampa Bay.

Susie Coelho's outfit in the movie isn't skimpy like the one on the movie poster. On the poster the illustration shows her in a bikini style outfit with her barely covered butt pointed outward, but in the film it's a one piece that doesn't reveal anything but her legs. Writer-producer-director Charles B. Pierce had the artist put her in a sexier outfit and pose to hopefully entice more male viewers.

Star Lee Majors once said it "took a lot of guts" to play a Viking but was persuaded by a fee of $500,000 and 10% of the profits. He later said: "I had a little time off, and they said, "it shoots in Florida, on the coast there, out of Tampa" and they had a bunch of Tampa Bay Buccaneers that were gonna play Vikings, so, I don't know, I thought it'd be fun, so I did it." He also commented: "There is no character to develop here and hardly any dialogue," said Majors, "this is a formula film."

The Viking ship used in the movie was loaned to the production company by New Bern, NC. It had been donated to the town by the P. Lorillard Tobacco Co. in 1972 and had been used in the company's ads and/or commercials. New Bern, the birthplace of Pepsi Cola, was settled in the early 1700's and at one time was the capital of the North Carolina colony. It was an important inland port in the early days and was frequented by pirates, but its only known connection with Vikings was the reproduction ship donated by the tobacco company. Reportedly, the ship was damaged during filming, and the town sued the production company, although the results of that suit are unknown.

Debut theatrical feature film of actress Susie Coelho who portrayed Winetta.