The Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps.
The Finnish Navy is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but this is not used in Finnish language contexts. The Finnish Navy also includes coastal forces and coastal artillery.
Stridsbåt 90 H(alv) is a class of fast military assault craft used by several countries after being originally developed for the Swedish Navy by Dockstavarvet. Its name means Combat Boat 90 Half; the 90 refers to the year of acceptance (1990) and Half refers to the fact that it can carry and deploy a half platoon of amphibious infantry fully equipped. The CB90 is an exceptionally fast and agile boat that can execute extremely sharp turns at high speed, decelerate from top speed to a full stop in 2.5 boat lengths, and adjust both its pitch and roll angle while under way. Its light weight, shallow draught, and twin water jets allow it to operate at speeds of up to 40 knots (74 km/h) in shallow coastal waters. The water jets are partially ducted, which, along with underwater control surfaces similar to a submarine's diving planes, gives the CB90 its manoeuvrability.
The Amphibious Corps is the coastal defence arm of the Swedish Navy. Until 2000 it was known as the Coastal Artillery, but the name was changed to reflect its different role in a post-Cold War world, where its amphibious special operations arm, Kustjägarna, has grown in significance while its coastal batteries have been decommissioned.
The Landing Craft Personnel (Large) or LCP (L) was a landing craft used extensively in the Second World War. Its primary purpose was to ferry troops from transport ships to attack enemy-held shores. The craft derived from a prototype designed by the Eureka Tug-Boat Company of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Manufactured initially in boatyards in and around New Orleans, as requirements grew it was produced in a number of yards around the United States. Typically constructed of pine planks and plywood, and fitted with some armor plate, this shallow-draft boat with a crew of 3, could ferry an infantry platoon of 36 to shore at 8 knots (13 km/h). Men generally entered the boat by walking over a gangplank from the boat deck of their troop transport as the LCP(L) hung from its davits. When loaded, the LCP(L) was lowered into the water. Soldiers exited the boat by jumping or climbing down from the craft's bow or sides.
The Swedish Coastal Artillery has its origin in the Archipelago Artillery that was raised in 1866. The Coastal Artillery was formed from the Archipelago Artillery, the Marine Regiment and parts of the Artillery in 1902. Kustartilleriet, abbreviated KA, was an independent branch within the Swedish Navy until July 1, 2000, when the Swedish Coastal Artillery was disbanded and reorganised as the Swedish Amphibious Corps. The changed name and new structure were to reflect the new tasks that the old Coastal Artillery had moved to after the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Warsaw Pact.
The 202nd Coastal Ranger Company is an amphibious special operations capable ranger unit within the Swedish Amphibious Corps, which is the coastal defence arm of the Swedish Navy.
MS Thorbjørn is a vessel owned by AUF. During AUFs annual summer camp on the island of Utøya, the vessel shuttles the participants between Utøya and Utøykaia on the mainland. The vessel was built at Oskarshamn Shipyard in 1948. It was previously called Rasmus and was bought by AUF in 1997 for SEK 250,000. It was later renamed Thorbjørn after Thorbjørn Jagland, a former AUF leader who later became Prime Minister of Norway. The ferry is certified for 50 passengers and can carry small vehicles.
The Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment, designation KA 1, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1902 and 2000. The unit was based at Rindö in the Stockholm archipelago in Uppland.
The Defence Act of 2000 was a defence act passed by the Swedish Riksdag on 30 March 2000, and the largest reorganisation of the Swedish Armed Forces since the Defence Act of 1925. The act was a continuation of the policies set in motion by the Defence Act of 1996: shifting the military's focus from the defence of Swedish territory to a more flexible "operational defence* for smaller-scale peacekeeping operations in foreign nations. Many military formations were disbanded as a result.
The Gotland Coastal Artillery Regiment, designation KA 3, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1937 and 2000. The unit was based in Fårösund in Gotland.
Södertörn Marine Regiment (Swedish: Södertörns marinregemente, designation SMR, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery unit which operated from 1956 to 2000. The unit was based on Järflotta south of Nynäshamn.
Roslagen Marine Regiment (Swedish: Roslagens marinregemente, designation RMR, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery unit which operated between from 1956 to 2000. The unit was based at Hamnholmen in Norrtälje Municipality.
The 1st Marine Regiment is an amphibian regiment of the Swedish Amphibious Corps based at the Berga Naval Base in Berga, Haninge Municipality. Raised from the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment in 2000 when the Swedish Amphibious Corps was formed, the 1st Marine Regiment has a large geographical spread where units are trained and grouped at Berga, south of Stockholm, in Gothenburg and in Gotland. Although the unit's natural combat environment is coastal zones, river deltas and other amphibious areas, the unit has the ability to operate in all types of terrain, such as desert. The 1st Marine Regiment has participated in operations in, for example, Kosovo, Gulf of Aden, Chad and Afghanistan.
Brigadier General Claes-Göran Hedén is a retired Swedish Coastal Artillery/Swedish Amphibious Corps officer. His senior commands include commanding officer of the Coastal Ranger School, Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment, the Northern Coast Marine Command and the Swedish Armed Forces International Command. After retiring from the military, Hedén served as governor of Gripsholm Castle and Strömsholm Castle.
Berga Naval Base is a naval base of the Swedish Navy located in the Hårsfjärden fjard near Berga, Haninge Municipality. Today it is the home of the 4th Naval Warfare Flotilla, the 1st Marine Regiment and Home Guard unit Södertörn Group (Södertörnsgruppen).
The 4th Marine Regiment is an amphibian regiment of the Swedish Amphibious Corps based in Gothenburg. Raised from Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment in 2000 when the Swedish Amphibious Corps was formed, the 4th Marine Regiment only operated for four years before being disbanded in 2004. The regiment was reinstated on 1 October 2021.
The Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment, designation KA 4, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1942 and 2000. The unit was based in Gothenburg.
The Härnösand Coastal Artillery Regiment, designation KA 5, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1943 and 1998. The unit was based in Härnösand.
Lieutenant Colonel Henning Bertil Stjernfelt was a Swedish Army officer and military historian. He wrote several books about World War II and the Swedish coastal defence. Stjernfelt was also a part of the formation of the Swedish Coastal Rangers in 1956.
