HNoMS Valkyrien

Last updated April 05, 2019

HNoMS Valkyrien, HNoMS Valkyrjen (in Norwegian the prefix KNM is used) has been the name of several ships in the Royal Norwegian Navy. Most of them have been in some way connected to the Royal Norwegian Navy's torpedo boats. The name honours the valkyries of Norse mythology. It has also been said that the ships have been given this name in honour of all women. Some of the ships:

The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of the state of Norway. As of 2008, the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support vessels and 2 training vessels. The navy also includes the Coast Guard.

Torpedo boat small and fast naval vessel armed with torpedoes

A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other slow and heavily armed ships by using speed, agility, and the power of their torpedo weapons. A number of inexpensive torpedo boats attacking en masse could overwhelm a larger ship's ability to fight them off using its large but cumbersome guns. An inexpensive fleet of torpedo boats could pose a threat to much larger and more expensive fleets of capital ships, albeit only in the coastal areas to which their small size and limited fuel load restricted them.

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle, the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar. When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens and sometimes connected to swans or horses.

The Dano-Norwegian gunship Valkyrien. Launched 10 March 1810. Decommissioned in December 1814.
Gun schooner Valkyrjen launched 1808 and decommissioned from the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1839.
HNoMS Valkyrjen – Launched 1896.
HNoMS Valkyrien (1953) – Formerly known as the passenger ship SS Polarlys
HNoMS Valkyrien (1965) – Formerly known as HMCS Toronto and HNoMS Garm.
HNoMS Valkyrien (A535) – The present support vessel for the Coastal Combat Flotilla.

HNoMS Valkyrjen was a torpedo boat destroyer of the Royal Norwegian Navy, built at F. Schichau shipyard in Elbing, Germany. The funds for the ship had been raised by the women of Norway and the ship was named Valkyrien in their honour. She was also nicknamed Damernes krigsskib. The ship had its first sea trial on 11 May 1896 and was swiftly approved. She was completed in Horten, Norway, and delivered to the minister of defence in Christiania (Oslo), on 17 May 1896. The ship was opened to the public for two days before sailing back to Horten.

HNoMS Valkyrien has the pennant number A535 and is the present support vessel for the Royal Norwegian Navy Coastal Combat Flotilla. Valkyrien was built as a civilian supply vessel in 1981. She was bought by the RNoN in 1994. Command was assumed on 4 February 1994. The ship has a strengthened hull and meets the requirements of ice breaking class ICE C. The vessel has a displacement of 3,000 tons and a top speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h). The ship also had towing and anchor handling capacities. As a civilian ship she had a crew of 11. Today she has a crew of about 20-25.

This article includes a list of ships with the same or similar names. If an internal link for a specific ship led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended ship article, if one exists.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

Related Research Articles

The Oslo-class frigate is a Royal Norwegian Navy frigate design, based on the US Navy Dealey-class destroyer escorts. The forward hull was customized to suit Norwegian sea conditions better and several sub-systems were European built.

SS Polarlys was a Hurtigruten coastal passenger/cargo steamer built in 1912. She was seized by the Germans during the Second World War, and served several stints in the Kriegsmarine. Having resumed her Hurtigruten service after the war until 1951, and in 1952 she was renamed Sylvia. At the same year, she was transferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy, and served under the name HNoMS Valkyrien as a motor torpedo boat tender between 1953 and 1963.

HMS P41 was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong. She was transferred to the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy before completion and renamed HNoMS Uredd. She and one of the B-class in 1940 have so far been the only Norwegian submarine to have been sunk.

The Royal Norwegian Navy Museum is a museum documenting the history of the Royal Norwegian Navy. It is located at the former main naval base of Karljohansvern in Horten. The museum was founded by C.F. Klinck on 24 August 1853. The museum is sometimes regarded as the world's first naval museum, as it was the first collection of naval memorabilia open to the public.

HNoMS Utstein is a series of three submarines operated by the Royal Norwegian Navy. They were named after this historic Utstein Abbey which is located on the island of Klosterøy in Rennesøy, Norway. The three submarines that have borne this name are:

Three ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Sleipner. The name is derived from Sleipnir - Odin's magical eight-legged steed, and the greatest of all horses:

At least two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have been named HNoMS Bergen, after the city of Bergen:

Two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Garm, after the Ragnarök hound Garmr:

Two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Gor, after Gór – the mythological co-founder of Norway:

Two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Stegg. Stegg is the Norwegian term for the male grouse.:

Two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Rauma, after the Norwegian river Rauma:

Two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Otra, after the Norwegian river Otra:

The Tide-class tanker is a class of four fast fleet tankers that entered service with the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 2017. The 37,000 t ships provide fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. Norway has ordered a 26,000 t version with a 48-bed hospital and greater solid stores capacity, for delivery in October 2016 as HNoMS Maud.

Several ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Brann or Brand :

At least two ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy have been named HNoMS Trondheim, after the city of Trondheim:

Three submarines of the Royal Norwegian Navy have borne the name HNoMS Ula, after the village of Ula in Norway.

HNoMS Maud is a replenishment oiler constructed at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea. She was built on behalf of Forsvarsmateriell, for service in the Royal Norwegian Navy.