The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting an NFL shipmate, so to speak.
The Minnesota Vikings announced plans this week to construct a huge Nordic ship outside $1.1 billion U.S. Bank Stadium, which is under construction.
The ship, which will have a 43-foot-high dragon head and 55-foot-high video board sail, will sit on the 3-acre plaza outside the stadium.
That’s a noted difference compared with the Bucs’ 103-foot-long pirate ship replica, which serves as a focal point at Raymond James Stadium. The ship, with a 9-foot-tall skull fronting the bow, anchors the north bowl seating area, known as Buccaneer Cove.