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.
HSwMS Äran was a Swedish first class coastal defence ship (Pansarskepp). She was used briefly during World War II in the Baltic sea, first in the Ålands eskader, and later in the Karlskrona eskader. This type of ship is commonly known as a coastal defence battleship. Having entered service on 7 September 1902, she was stricken on 13 June 1947. The hulk sank while under tow in 1968.
HSwMS Ehrensköld (11), was the lead ship of her class of destroyer in the Swedish Navy during World War II. Together with the sister ship HSwMS Nordenskjöld (12), she constituted the Ehrensköld class, which, with its size and speed, was a major step in the Swedish destroyer fleet. Initially, Ehrensköld had pennant number 11, which was later changed to 1. In 1951-1952, the ship was converted to frigate, and then received the pennant number 71. She was decommissioned in 1963 and was sold for scrapping in 1973.
The Sverige-class coastal defence ships were a class of coastal defence ships that, at the time of introduction, were the largest ships to serve in the Swedish Navy. Their design was completely new and was influenced by the ships of the time. Their armament consisted of four 283 mm (11 in)/45 cal. Bofors guns in two turrets and eight 152 mm (6 in) Bofors guns in one double and six single turrets. During the Second World War they were the backbone of the Swedish Navy.
HSwMS Sverige was the first Swedish Sverige-class coastal defence ship (Pansarskepp) commissioned during the last year of World War I and serving into the 1950s. Her cost was approximately 12 million kronor in 1912, and the entire sum was raised in public in a nationwide fundraising campaign that gained over 15 million. The fundraising was done because of the Karl Staaff government's reluctance to spend money on a new battleship.
HSwMS Gustaf V, in Swedish HM Pansarskepp Gustaf V was a Sverige-class coastal defence ship of the Swedish Navy. The vessel was the third and last ship in the Sverige class along with HSwMS Sverige and HSwMS Drottning Victoria. Gustaf V was launched on 15 September 1917 at Kockums in Malmö and delivered to the Navy on 9 January 1922. The design consisted of four 28 cm cannon and a secondary armament of eight 15.2 cm cannon. During the interwar period, the ship underwent several modernizations and was one of the most powerful vessels in the fleet during the Second World War. The ship was put in reserve in 1948, was decommissioned in 1957 and was later sold for scrapping in Karlskrona. However, the ship remained at Berga Academy of War as of 1968. Two of the ship's 15.2 cm guns are preserved in the battery at Häggmansberget in the defensive Kalix Line, around Kalix.
Coastal defence ships were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrificed speed and range for armour and armament. They were usually attractive to nations that either could not afford full-sized battleships or could be satisfied by specially designed shallow-draft vessels capable of littoral operations close to their own shores. The Nordic countries and Thailand found them particularly appropriate for their island-dotted coastal waters. Some vessels had limited blue-water capabilities; others operated in rivers.
HSwMS Dristigheten was a Swedish Navy coastal defence ship, and the single ship of her class. She was launched 28 April 1900. She was rebuilt as a seaplane tender in 1927. Built in 1898-1901, she was a modified version of the Oden class of 1894–1899, with a slightly longer hull and different armament. The ship was laid down in 1898 at Lindholmens' yard, Gothenburg, launched on 28 April 1900 and completed in 1901. She served without distinction until 1930 when she was stripped for conversion to an aircraft tender. As a seaplane carrier she was given a hangar and deck aft, with cranes to handle three floatplanes. After the Second World War, the old ship was reclassified as a target, and served until 1961, when she was scrapped.
Sweden played a role of major importance during the Cold War, despite not officially participating. Sweden's location made it an ideal base of operations for both the Soviet Union and the United States. Sweden was never invaded throughout the war, mainly due to their strong defensive power - ranked among the top five in the world at this time.
Vice Admiral Count Gösta Carl Albert Ehrensvärd was a Swedish Navy officer.
HSwMS Nordenskjöld (12) was a destroyer in the Swedish Navy. Together with the sister ship HSwMS Ehrensköld, she constituted the Ehrensköld class, which, with its size and speed, was a major step in the Swedish destroyer fleet. The ship was launched on 19 June 1926. During the World War II, she participated in the neutrality watch and escorted merchant ships along the Swedish east coast. Especially the ore traffic from Luleå to Germany had to be protected. In the context of the neutrality watch, she therefore participated in the pursuit of Soviet submarines who broke out of the Gulf of Finland in search of merchant ships. Initially, Nordenskjöld had pennant number 12, which was later switched to 2. In 1951–1952, the ship was converted to frigate and then received the pennant number 72. She was decommissioned in 1963 and was sold for scrap the following year.
HSwMS Oscar II was a coastal defence ship or Pansarskepp of the Swedish Navy. The vessel had a long career lasting over sixty years. A development of the preceding Äran-class coastal defence ship, the ship mounted a powerful armament on a small hull, which necessitated sacrificing speed and endurance. This design decision allowed Oscar II to match the firepower of contemporary armoured cruisers while still carrying the armour of a battleship. Protected by an armoured belt that had a maximum thickness of 150 mm (5.9 in), the ship was armed with a main battery of two 210 mm (8.3 in) Bofors guns mounted separately fore and aft. Maximum speed was 18 knots.
Rear Admiral Knut Mauritz "Moje" Östberg was a Swedish Navy officer. Östberg's senior commands include postings as captain of the coastal defence ships HSwMS Dristigheten and HSwMS Manligheten as well as captain of the seaplane cruiser HSwMS Gotland. He also served as commanding officer of the West Coast Naval District as well as naval attaché in Berlin, Washington, D.C. and Ottawa.
Captain Nils Harry Martin Bong was a Swedish Navy officer. Bong served as commanding officers of the torpedo boat HSwMS Antares, the cruisers HSwMS Örnen and HSwMS Tre Kronor, and the coastal defence ship HSwMS Oscar II. He also served as commanding officer of the Gothenburg Squadron and of the Karlskrona Naval Training Schools.
Vice Admiral Erik Viktor Philip Gustafsson af Klint was a Swedish Navy naval officer. af Klint's senior commands include postings as Chief of Staff of the Coastal Fleet, head of Section 2 of the Defence Staff, Chief of the Coastal Fleet and commanding officer of the Naval Command East.
Knut Gunnar Bjurner was a senior Swedish Navy officer. Bjurner commanded three different coastal defence ships, headed Karlskrona Naval Yard (1931–1936) and commanded the Winter Squadron (1933–1934) as well as the South Coast Naval District (1936–1938). Bjurner is mostly known for his work within the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration, which he headed from 1938 to 1943.
Vice Admiral John Christoffer Schneidler was a senior Swedish Navy officer. He served as head of the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1919 to 1923, commander of Karlskrona Naval Yard from 1923 to 1925 and as head of the Royal Swedish Naval Materiel Administration from 1925 to 1933.
HSwMS Tapperheten was a Äran-class coastal defence ship that served with the Swedish Navy. A development of Dristigheten, the Äran class mounted the same 21 cm (8 in) main guns, but differed in the layout of the secondary armament. The vessel was launched in 1901 and served with the coastal defence squadron at Karlskrona. In 1907, the warship attended a naval review by Edward VII. Tapperheten ran aground off the island of Sandön in 1914, earning the nickname, Fastigheten (Permanence) due to the lack of damage received until the vessel was refloated six months later. Subsequently, the vessel served in the First World War protecting Sweden's neutrality. The warship gained a second nickname, Tappaankarheten, for losing an anchor in 1927. After an upgrade to the anti-aircraft armament, the ship also served in the Second World War before retiring in 1947 and being sold to be broken up in 1952.
