When your team has played through the frozen winters of Minnesota and most recently had the baggy that was their roof (Metro Dome) cave in during a snow storm, you want to make a statement when you build a new billion dollar stadium. The Vikings once known as "The Purple People Eaters" needed a statement for their new stadium. Their choice was the Legacy Ship with a giant media board to welcome fans as they enter the new US Bank Stadium. Not since the defensive line of the seventies has a presence been so dominant in the Minneapolis area. 

In trying to maintain a true connection with past stadiums, the owners realized the Viking ship located outside the Winter Park training facilities had been a fan favorite since its creation. The new Legacy Ship would have two specific goals for team owners. Firstly, promote the rich Viking heritage steeped in Nordic tradition, the mainstay of which is the iconic Viking ship with its bow dragon head. Secondly, provide Minnesota fans with a visual means of following games and special events while outside the stadium.

The steel construction of the Legacy Ship required a coating that would be durable enough to survive the rigors of numerous harsh Minnesota winters.  Due to the unique application of new technology and old school construction techniques, hot-dip galvanizing was chosen to protect the iconic symbol for the stadium.  Additionally the enormous structure required to suspend a video screen through the Minnesota elements needed the strength, reliability and the aesthetics of galvanized steel construction. The Legacy Ship's media board is a 2,000 square foot LED screen and reaches a height of 35 feet. 

The mast section of the ship, which supports the video screen, is made up of galvanized steel tubing and structural steel components. The ships dragon head pierces the Minneapolis skyline at 43 feet perched on a skeleton of galvanized steel tubing. The hot-dip galvanized coating offers corrosion protection while maintaining an aesthetic that blends with traditional Viking ship building materials. Due to the enormous size and configuration of the individual components, multiple facilities were called upon to complete the galvanizing of this structure. 

The contractor in charge of fabrication, coating and assembly of the structure worked hand in hand with multiple galvanizing facilities to ensure the tubing would not be distorted in the hot-dip process. The fabricator communicated exact lift locations for the 50+ foot starboard and port sides of the ship. The ornamental dragon head and mast components were designed with best practices for hot-dip galvanizing.

Once completed Viking's owner/president, Mark Wilf commented their goal had been attained, "We wanted to recreate the feature in a significantly enhanced way at US Bank Stadium in order to give the fans a new game ritual and a perfect welcome to their unprecedented game experience." The finished Legacy Ship combined materials such as wood, stone, concrete and stainless steel to its gunnels of hot-dip galvanized steel.

The Legacy Ship outside US Bank Stadium stands alone ready to face the onslaught of visiting warriors and the brutal extremes of typical Minnesota winters.