Göteborg-class destroyer

The Göteborg class was a Swedish World War II destroyer class. Built from 1936–1941 the class was designed as escort and neutral guard destroyers. In total six ships were constructed, HSwMS Göteborg, HSwMS Stockholm, HSwMS Malmö, HSwMS Karlskrona, HSwMS Gävle and HSwMS Norrköping. After World War II the destroyers, later rebuilt as frigates, continued to serve in the Swedish navy. The last ship was decommissioned in 1968.

HSwMS Göteborg
Class overview
Operators:	Swedish Navy
Preceded by:	Klas class
Succeeded by:	Visby class
Built:	1933–1941
In commission:	1936–1968
Planned:	6
Completed:	6
Retired:	6
General characteristics
Type:	Destroyer/frigate
Displacement:	1,060–1,240 tons
Length:	92.7 m (304 ft)
Beam:	9 m (30 ft)
Draught:	3.8 m (12 ft)
Propulsion:	Twin screws, turbines
Speed:	39 kn (72 km/h; 45 mph)
Range:	3,333 km (1,800 nmi; 2,071 mi)
Complement:	130
Armament:	3 × 120 mm guns 4 × 25 mm Bofors anti-air cannons 6 × 530 mm torpedo tubes Depth charges and mines

History

HSwMS Stockholm after modernization

HSwMS Karlskrona

In 1933 the Swedish government granted the construction of two new destroyers.[1] The destroyers were given names of Swedish coast towns and so this class was called Stadsjagare (City destroyers). The first ship was delivered in 1936 and the second in 1937. In 1936 two additional destroyers were ordered and after the war broke out a third pair was ordered as well.[2] After the war all destroyers except Göteborg which was in poor shape from the Hårsfjärden disaster received a refit where the center gun was moved to the X position on the aft deckhouse and the anti-aircraft armament (consisting of four modern Bofors 40 mm L/70 guns) was concentrated on a platform around the rear funnel. In 1958–1963 three of the destroyers were rebuilt as frigates that included a change of armament. The first ship to be decommissioned was Göteborg in 1958. In the decade that followed all ships were decommissioned, the last in 1968.

The famous Swedish marine engineer Curt Borgenstam called the Göteborg class the most beautiful and well working destroyer class to have served in the Swedish navy.[3]

Ships

HSwMS Göteborg sinking after being used as a target ship

Name	Number	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Göteborg	5	Götaverken	1934	14 October 1935	October 1936	Stricken 15 August 1958[4] Sunk as target 14 August 1962[5]
Stockholm	6	Karlskrona dockyard	1934	24 March 1936	27 November 1937	Stricken 1 January 1964[4] Scrapped 1965[6]
Malmö	7	Eriksberg	1937	22 September 1938	15 August 1939	Stricken 1 January 1964[4] Scrapped 1970[6]
Karlskrona	8	Karlskrona dockyard	1937	19 June 1939	12 September 1940	Stricken 1 July 1974[4] Scrapped 1979[6]
Norrköping	10	Eriksberg	1939	25 September 1940	9 April 1941	Stricken 1 February 1965[4]
Gävle	9	Götaverken	1939	23 September 1940	30 June 1941	Stricken 6 December 1968[4] Used as generator at Simpevarp nuclear power station[6]

References

1. Borgenstam, Insulander & Kaudern 1989, p. 48
2. Borgenstam, Insulander & Kaudern 1989, p. 50
3. Borgenstam, Insulander & Kaudern 1989, p. 52
4. Whitley 2000, p. 249.
5. Gardiner and Chesneau 1980, p. 372.
6. Gardiner and Chumbley 1995, p. 443.

Sources

• Borgenstam, Curt; Insulander, Per; Kaudern, Gösta (1989), Jagare: med Svenska flottans jagare under 80 år (in Swedish), Västra Frölunda: Marinlitteratur, ISBN 91-970700-4-1, SELIBR 7792227
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1995), Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995, Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 1-55750-132-7
• Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1980), Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946, London: Conway Maritime Press, ISBN 0-85177-146-7
• Jackson, Robert (2004), Fighting Ships of The World, London: Amber Books Ltd, p. 306, ISBN 9781840136470
• Whitley, M. J. (2000), Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia, London: Cassell, ISBN 1-85409-521-8