Svea-class coastal defence ship

The Svea class was a class of coastal defence ships of the Swedish Royal Navy. The class comprised Svea, Göta and Thule.

Svea after her reconstruction.
Class overview
NameSvea class
BuildersLindholmen At Goteborg (1) and Finboda yard (1)
Operators Swedish Navy
Succeeded byOden class
Completed3
Retired3
General characteristics
TypeCoastal defense ship
Displacement3,200 tons
Length75.7 m (248 ft 4 in)
Draught5.18 m (17 ft 0 in)
Propulsion4,700 hp (3,500 kW)
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement252
Armament
  • 2 × 10 in (25 cm)
  • 4 × 6 in (15 cm) (4 × 1)
  • 6 × 5.7 cm (2.2 in) (6 × 1)
  • 3 × 15 in (38 cm) torpedo tubes
Armour
  • 11.5 in (29 cm) belt
  • 11.5 in (29 cm) turret

Design

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Dimensions and machinery

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The ships of the class were 75.7 metres (248 ft 4 in) long, had a draught of 5.18 metres (17 ft 0 in), and had a displacement of 3,200 tons. The ships were equipped with reciprocating engines, which were rated at 4,700 ihp (3,500 kW) and produced a top speed of 16 kn (30 km/h).[1][2]

Armour

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The ships had belt armour of 11.5 in (29 cm) and 11.5 in (29 cm) turret armour.[1][2]

Armament

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The main armament of the ships was a 10 in (25 cm) twin turret gun. Secondary armament included four single 6 in (15 cm) guns and six 5.7 cm (2.2 in) single guns.[1][2]

Construction

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Svea and Göta were both laid down at the Lindholmen in Gothenburg and launched on 12 December 1886 and 30 September 1891, respectively. Thule was laid down at the Finnboda Yard in Nacka and launched in 1893.[1][2]

Turrets

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All the main battery turrets of the Svea-class ships were installed at Ellenabbsfortet, located at Aspö, a small island near Karlskrona harbour. The guns were removed in 1936. The turrets were scrapped.[1][2]

Notes

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e von Hofsten, Gustaf (2003). Örlogsfartyg: Svenska maskindrivna fartyg under tretungad flagg (in Swedish). Karlskrona: Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Bibliotek. pp. 112–115.
  2. ^ a b c d e Westerlund, Karl-Erik (1992). Svenska örlogsfartyg 1855-1905 (in Swedish). Karlskrona: Marinlitteraturföreningen. pp. 83–89.

References

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  • von Hofsten, Gustaf; Waernberg, Jan (2003). Örlogsfartyg: Svenska maskindrivna fartyg under tretungad flagg (in Swedish). Karlskrona: Svenskt Militärhistoriskt Bibliotek. ISBN 91-974015-4-4.
  • Westerlund, Karl-Erik (1992). Svenska örlogsfartyg 1855-1905 (in Swedish). Karlskrona: Marinlitteraturföreningen. ISBN 91-87072-13-0.

Further reading

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