A 1912 depiction of Sverige
Class overview
Name	Sverige class
Builders	Götaverken, Gothenburg (2 ships) Kockums, Malmö (1 ship)
Operators	Swedish Navy
Preceded by	Oscar II
Built	1912–1922
In commission	1917–1957
Completed	3
Scrapped	3
General characteristics
Type	Coastal defence ship
Displacement	7,239 tonnes standard, 7,755 tonnes full load (Sverige: 6,961 tonnes tons standard, 7,758 tons deep load)
Length	121.6 m (399 ft) (Sverige: 120 m (390 ft))
Beam	18.6 m (61 ft)
Draught	6.2 m (20 ft)
Propulsion	original 12 Yarrow type coal-fired boilers, upgraded to oil-fired boilers in the 1930s Sverige 4-shaft direct drive turbines Drottning Victoria and Gustav V 2-shaft geared turbines
Speed	Drottning Victoria and Gustav V 23.5 kn (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph) Sverige 22.5 kn (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph)
Complement	427 (standard) 443 (as flagship)
Armament	4 × 283 mm (11 in)/ 45 cal. guns in two twin turrets 8 × 152 mm (6 in)/ 50 cal. guns in one twin turret and six single mounts 6 × 75 mm (3 in)/ 50 cal. guns in single mounts 2 × 57 mm (2.2 in) guns 2 × machine guns 2 × 460 mm (18 in) fixed torpedo tubes
Armour	Main belt 200 mm (7.9 in) Deck 45 mm (2 in) Turrets 200 mm (8 in) Control tower 175 mm (7 in)

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.

Specifications

Right elevation and deck plan as depicted in Brassey's Naval Annual, 1923

Sverige as built

Sverige after 1931

Drottning Victoria after 1931

Gustaf V after 1930

Appearance

All three ships looked similar until reconstruction. Gustav V had funnels trunked into one and the upper works modified heavily. Sverige had the fore funnel trunked back away from the superstructure which was modified, and kept the second funnel, making the ships very different in appearance between the main turrets. Gustav V also had her forward superfiring twin 152 mm (6 in) turret removed, and replaced with a platform for gyro-stabilized AA artillery ( 4 x 40 mm bofors) while Sverige and Drottning Victoria had their midship single 152 mm (6 in) guns removed and replaced with gyro-stabilized AA platforms (Bofors 40 mm double mountings)

Ships

Three of these ships were built:

• Sverige was ordered in 1912 and completed in 1917, built by Götaverken Gothenborg. She was paid for by public subscription as the Swedish people's gift to the country.
• Drottning Victoria ("Queen Victoria") was ordered in 1915 and completed in 1921, built by Götaverken Gothenborg. She had an improved design, with an icebreaking bow and different machinery.
• Gustav V was ordered in 1915 and completed in 1922, built by Kockums shipyard in Malmö. She had the same improved design as Drottning Victoria.

A fourth ship was considered but not built due to economic difficulties.

The ships were modernised in the 1930s with oil-fired boilers replacing the old coal-fired boilers, removal of underwater torpedo equipment, new anti-aircraft guns, and new fire control equipment.

Plans were drawn up in the 1940s to modernize Drottning Victoria by rebuilding the superstructure, increasing the elevation of the main turrets to 32 degrees, and replacing the armament light armament with 2 twin 57mm guns and 12 40mm/56 Bofors guns in 4 twin and 4 single mounts, as well as 10 25mm Bofors mounts. This would have more than doubled the weight of anti-aircraft fire per minute. These plans were never undertaken. The plans and an essay explaining them can be viewed in here on pages 103 to 113.^[1]

Tactical doctrine and effectiveness

Sverige-class ship firing

The Sverige-class ships differed in several ways from the classical coastal defence ship: at first by heavier armament as well as better speed and armour, but still small enough to operate and hide in the archipelagos and shallow waters. But the main difference was to be noted in their tactical doctrine and operations. Unlike other coastal defence ships, the Sverige class formed the core of a traditional open-sea battle group (Coastal Fleet), operating with cruisers, destroyers, torpedo boats and air reconnaissance like traditional battleship tactics of the time. This "mini battle group" had no intention, nor need, to challenge the superpowers in blue sea battles, but rather to operate as defensive shield against any aggression challenging Swedish interests and territory. Based on the doctrine that one needs a battle group to challenge a battle group, the Coastal Fleet presented a considerable obstacle to anything smaller than a full-size battleship or battlecruiser, but in a tactical situation where full-size battleships would have very limited operational space exposing them to submarines, fast torpedo crafts, land based dive-bombers and minefields.

Citations

References

• Harris, Daniel G. (1992). "The Svierge Class Coastal Defense Ships". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1992. London: Naval Institute Press. pp. 80–98. ISBN 0-85177-603-5.
• Hore, Peter; Ireland, Bernard (2013). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Battleships & Cruisers. Anness. ISBN 978-1-78019-292-5.
• Sundberg, Ulf (2018). "The heavily Armoured ShipSverige (1915)". In Taylor, Bruce (ed.). The World of the Battleship: The Lives and Careers of Twenty-One Capital Ships of the World's Navies, 1880–1990. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-0870219061.
• Utredning och Forslag angaende Sjorkrigsmaterielens sammansättning m.m. avgivet jamlikt Kungl. [Investigation and Proposals regarding the composition of the Naval War Equipment, etc.]. Swedish National Archives. pp. 103–113. Retrieved 21 April 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sverige class coastal defence ships.

• Swedish Steel at Dieselpunks.com