Detailed articles list

• Tre Kronor class (1946)
• Öland class DDs (1945)
• Halland class DDs (1952) (1945)
• Ostergotland class DDs (1956)
• Spica III class Corvettes (1984)
• Goteborg class Corvettes (1989)

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• U1 class subs (mod.1963)
• Hajen class subs (1954)
• Sjoormen class subs (1967)
• Nacken class subs (1978)
• Vastergotland class subs (1986)
• Gotland class subs (1995)

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• T32 class MTBs (1951)
• T42 class MTBs (1955)
• Plejad class FACs (1951)
• Spica I class FACs (1966)
• Spica II class FACs (1972)
• Hugin class FACs (1973)
• Swedish Patrol Boats
• Swedish minesweepers
• Swedish Icebreakers

The Swedish Navy: Facing the USSR

Sweden's Fleet dominated the Baltic in 1947 and for some years after while her war-ravaged neighbours recovered. New ships and vessels, from heavily armed, very fast cruisers to small high speed MTBS were built, delivered and commissioned. New classes of destroyers, submarines, torpedo-boats and minesweepers joined the Royal Swedish Navy.

Uniquely, it acquired nuclear weapon proof bunkers carved out of cliffsides to shelter and hide submarines and ships up to destroyer size.
From 1958 the five year defence plans changed to the disadvantage of the navy - and later also of the army and the air force. The idea of a 'light navy', no longer including coastal battleships or cruisers as backbones of the three task forces, was followed by a theory of light task forces of only one or two destroyers with one or two squadrons of large torpedo boats and, of course, submarines, coast defence flotillas of small MTBS, minesweepers, etc.


Early Swedish missile Fast Attack crafts: Mode and Magne in the 1960s.

However, this "lighter" navy could not be maintained. The last cruiser, Göta Lejon, was sold to Chile in 1971. Two missile destroyers and one ocean minelayer were cancelled. Destroyers were reclassified as frigates after or without being equipped with modern ASW weapons. The submarine force fell by half between 1975 and 1982. During the Cold War, the Swedish Navy had to deal with almost constant intrusions into Swedish territorial waters, there being forty such incidents in 1982 alone. Despite heavy depth-charging and detonation of ground mines, all these intruders escaped. Combating this problem was an important task for the navy, and a mini-sub was built in the late 1980s as an ASW target, simulating the type of vessel believed to be involved.

By 1985 the two remaining destroyers had been disposed of, but numbers of light craft had increased, with torpedo boats being fitted with a new Saab SSM and new classes of submarine being commissioned. Uniquely, the Swedes persisted with work on air-dependent conventional propulsion systems for submarines, when the major navies had abandoned them for nuclear boats, and in 1996 the first operational class of submarines with such propulsion systems will enter service (the Götland class).

The Swedish submarine industry scored an export success in 1987 with the sale of the Collins class boats to the Royal Australian Navy, claimed to be the most sophisticated conventional submarines in the world. 2000s models included air-independent main engines and radical new hull forms.

In 1995, naval personnel totalled 9150, plus 6000 reserves. Coastal Artillery Service had 3900 active personnel organised into five regiments and 3000 reservists, which operated both static and mobile coast-defence gun and SSM batteries, as well as a number of mine warfare and patrol vessels. Principal naval bases were at Karlskrona and Muskö. Although an even 'lighter' fleet than in 1947, the Swedish Navy has remained a capable and powerful force centred around submarines, missile combatants and mine warfare vessels.


FAC(M) Mysing (P158)

Situation after the end of WW2

In 1945, Sweden became de facto the pre-eminent naval power in the Baltic after the comprehensive destructions of the Soviet Baltic fleet and Kriegsmarine.
On paper its force was indeed impressive:
Coastal Forces: Three Aran class Coastal Battleships (CB), three Sverige class, Oscar II.
Cruiser forces: Fylgia, Gotland, two Tre Kronor class in construction. So four cruisers in 1947.
Destroyer force: Three Sigurd class, Hugin, two Wrangel class, two Ehrenskold class, two Psilander class, Klas Horn, two Romulus class, six Göteborg class, four Magne class, four Visby class, two öland in completion: 29 in 1947.
Submarine force: Draken, Delfinen, Sjolejonet, Neptun, U1 classes: 26 in all, the last completed in 1946.
Misc. Vessels: Four Ane class Landing crafts (1943), the minelayers Clas Fleming (1912, 1735 tons), Alvsnabben (1943, 4250 tons), 4 MAS, 2 Vosper, 15 domestic-built MTBs, 50 minesweepers, about 70 patrol boats of the V and SVK type, 2 icebreakers.
See the complete WW2 Swedish Navy

Of course, the coastal battleships were obsolete designs dating back for some to 1890. Of all these, the last to go was HMS Gustav V, used from 1957 as a training ship. They were all stricken in 1947-57. The cruiser Fylgia was discarded in 1953 and the more modern Gotland in 1960. The ambitious Tre Kronor class, largest cruisers ever built in Sweden, were found irrelevant in the 1960s. The first, Tre Kronor, was stricken in 1964 and the second was resold to Chile in 1971. She served until 1984 as Almirante Latorre.
For destroyers, many were also discarded in 1947-58. The exceptions were the Ehrenskold class, converted as ASW frigates like British and US vessels. They stayed active until 1968 (see below).
The Italian-built vessels served until 1949-59.
The more recent Göteborg class served until the 1960-1970s, Gavle being converted as a nuclear floating test facility after 1969.
The Mode class were also discarded in the 1960s, but the four Visby class were converted as ASW frigates in 1965-68 and served until 1979-82.
The öland class were modern enough to be kept in service and upgraded until stricken in 1978.
Misc. ships were discarded at various dates, some stricken as early as 1946, but some soldiering on until the 1980s (like the minelayer Alvsnabben, in 1982) or the 1990s like the Ane class landing crafts.

Swedish Aircraft Carrier 1946

This project is only known through detailed sketches (but no blueprints). It was part of the ambitious naval plan of WW2 which saw a drastic increase in shipbuilding, notably with the Tre Kronor cruisers, new destroyers and submarines. This was a rather small carrier, displacing just 8,000 tonnes, well protected, armed, and still carrying a provision of twenty jet fighters. It was perhaps too ambitious as a design due to the limited size and displacement, forced upon by the limited size of Yards basins.

The general appearance resembled a British carrier, with a large bridge island, rounded fore an aft deck, two lifts in échelon in the middle of a straight deck which as shows in the upper view, only allowed folder wings planes to be stacked alongside, an little space available for the jets to take of in straight line from the back of the deck - There was however what could be a catapult forward ("even accelerator") otherwise these jets would had to take off in about 130 meters. The project did not went very far from a proposal to the admiralty, there was no official name associated, and she was never ordered. Conways is totally silent about it as well. See the authority signing the sketch.

Specifications: As shown in the drawings

Dimensions: 140m wl/148.2 m oa x 20 m wl/28.4 m oa x 5.5 m
Displacement: 7,800 tonnes standard, 8,100 tonnes FL
Machinery: 28,000 shp: 25 knots max.
Aviation: 20 de Havilland Sea Vampire carried
Armament: 4x2 12 cm, 16x 40mm Bofors, 17 25mm
Armor: 3-in (75 mm) belt, 25 mm torpedo bulkheads, 25 + 50 mm deck
Crew: 535 men

Coastal defences and naval districts until 1948

120 mm semi-auto DP battery (tornautomatpjäs m/70) installed Landsort. This weapons system called ERSTA (Ersättning Tungt Artilleri or "Replacement Heavy Artillery") replaced all previous coastal artillery used in Sweden and became quite ubiquitous. These batteries were installed in nine locations, six in Sweden, at Söderarm, Landsort, Asunden (Gotland), Källesjö near Ystad, Gylle near Trelleborg and Holmögadd near Umeå. There were also three Norwegian installations, at Andfjorden near Harstad, Ofotfjorden outside Narvik and Kråkvågfjorden outside Trondheim.

The Swedish Navy's Coast Artillery was formed on January 1, 1902 as part of the Navy. From January 1928 it was divided into six marine districts. There was a lack of clear commands and uniform management for the Swedish coastal areas in case of war however. The six naval districts played however an important role as regional commands. From 1936 decree by the Riksdag (parliament) these naval districts were under a single command from 1937. It had a centralized organization with staff, personnel, curatorial administration, medical management, a camera office, ship depot, naval depot, coastal detachment and fishery protection division. In 1948 a new decree reduced the number of marine districts by two, and introduced the concept of marine guard areas, subordinated to marine districts.

From 1948 the old coastal forts were still active for a time and were not modernized, in case of a possible Soviet attack in the Baltic. After a sturdy in the 1960s, as part of the STRIL 60 program which should have comprised Rb 08 anti-ship missile installations too. 10 locations were chosen and production of the first guns started in 1971. These were developed to defend vital points from enemy landing ships and area control or antiship and fire in a nuclear context (they are NBC-proof).

However after budget cuts, Only six 12/70 batteries were maintained and EMP protection was no longer pursued. Also both the crew and support installation were reduced to the bare minimum. Each of these six batteries counted three fully independent gun emplacements with a command center, ranging stations and AA Bofors guns for close defense, plus mortar positions and troop shelters in case of an enemy landing. They were installed either in blasted holes or natural ones.

The gun was fully automatic, water-cooled vertical sliding wedge, electrically-driven for traverse but with manual elevation. Fully prepared for a nuclear war, the turret is hydraulically lowered and anchored to its foundation, the interior has a liner and both its muzzle and mount aperture are automatically sealed before the lowering. After a nuclear blast, it was assumed the crew, evacuated in the sealed vault behind the turret could reoccupy the latter soon after.


Batteri Järflotta (1942), which stayed in service for the whole cold war.

The remainder, older fortifications were equipped with guns dating back from WW1 from some. The modernized Boden Fortress for example was only deactivated in 1998. Sooner, this was the case of the Degerberget Fort, and the Fort Oscar II. However the Skåne Line (1941) was maintained until the late 1950s, whereas the Järflotta Fort (1942) stayed active also until the 1990s.

Reorganization of 1957

On October 1, 1957, naval districts were reorganized into naval commands. There was now a clear separation from coastal defense. In July 1, 1958, these had their own authority, whereas the coastal artillery command became a defense area command. The new Swedish Navy organization consisted of a staff management and an administration for coastal artillery brigade, ships and helicopters associated.


Two Hugin class FAC(M)

Reorganization of 1966

On October 1, 1966, a new regional command was established whereas overall operational command was unified with a single military commander. Naval commands were reorganized into naval bases, subordinated to this new military commander, assimilated to the Navy chief of staff. Three commands were reorganized into naval bases:
-Marine Command Nord comprising the Norrland's coastal artillery.
-East Coast War Base (ÖrlB O)
-Roslagen's war base (Uppsala)
These war bases included staff and administration, plus a coastguard with affected ships and helicopters.

Integration of the Swedish Navy in other branches during the cold war

Muskö naval base, HSwMS Sundsvall entering a pen in the naval base. Built in several stages from 1950 to 1969 in Concrete, stone, steel, this was the largest "nuclear-proof" naval base of Sweden. This unique underground naval facility was based on the island of Muskö, south of Stockholm. It has three docks, large enough for two destroyers and two submarines. Kept highly secret during the cold war it was only fully unveiled to the public from 2004, when it was decided to concentrate efforts in Karlskrona Naval Base and the Berga Naval Base. The only raison d'être of the complex was indeed the nuclear threat posed by USSR.

Sweden, although neutral, was the first country past Finland, in the path of the mighty Soviet Army. Most scenarios of invasion from the latter involved the violation of Swedish territory. So Sweden one of the most militarized countries in the area and despite a 7-8 million population was able to mobilize 800 000 conscripts. Its shining pride was its modern air force, made of ground-braking jets developed in total autonomy, compounded by the use of dispersed road bases making its destruction nearly impossible. The army was equally well equipped and also dispersed throughout the country in mobilization stores. For communication and storage, Sweden counted a network of well managed and adapted caves and mines. The possibility of nuclear warfare did not hampered the command and control functions at any level.

The extensive civil defense system provided a large array of bomb shelters, in fact there was enough room for each citizen. During the cold war, many citizens were granted the right to built their own NBC compound, in their garage, cave or in the garden. In addition, vast stores of food, medical supplies, fuel existed, in order to be consumed by the whole country and to last for a year.

The fleet in 1966:
-1 Cruiser: Gota Lejon
-8 destroyers (4 missile)
-8 ASW Frigates (4 in conversion 1966)
-19 submarines (+5 in construction)
-About 120 Landing crafts (LCU, LCA, Grim class)
-23 MTBs
-12 FACs (6 in construction)
-16 Patrol Boats
-1 minelayer
-44 minesweepers
-4 icebreakers


HSwMS Småland in one of the underground pens in Muskö naval base (1960). This could be used as a NBC-proof drydock as well.

The navy was however small in comparison but purposedly built to wage war in the archipelago of the coast line. In addition to cutting edge submarines, a fleet of MTB/FACs, and a comprehensive use of mines guaranteed extra protection, channelling enemy forces towards coastal battery range. In 2005, after a carrier was "sunk" in exercize by a Swedish sub, the US Navy borrowed one to test it versus nuclear submarines and found it way harder to hear them and this ended with a full time leasing for more practice. Sweden innovated in this field, using Stirling engines for maximal discretion, as these theoretical engines generated no vibrations. Swedish missiles carried in its tubes are very capable too.

1982 Reorganization

Prior to the Defense Decree of 1982, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy proposed cost and staff reductions concerning the East Coast. Increased coordination and part fusion between the operations of the East Coast War Base and Berga War Schools. Roslagen's war base was relocated to Muskö that year, and merged into the East Coast's base. Its Division was terminated on June 30 that year and assets relocated to the East Coast Base. Between 1986 and 1990, other reforms were carried out and ultimately all naval bases merged with the coastal artillery defenses unified into naval commands.


The destroyer Ostergotland

The cold war Swedish Navy in action: Incidents

These were many submarine incidents during the cold war in Swedish waters. They mostly involved Soviet submarines and these were recognised by NATO as the "hottest" during the whole cold war, with those around North Korea.
In many of these incidents (around 20 listed), the intruders were simply driven off by depth charges, but in one occasion, the U 137 incident (1981), a soviet submarine was grounded, officially, because of navigation compass failure. The first incident was reported in 1962, followed by 1966, 1969 (20 days submarine hunt in Swedish waters), 1969 (sub-to sub encounter), 1974 (spotted, chased), 1976 (soviet sub found, chase), 1980, 1982, 1983 (as many as 5 violations), 1984, 86, 1987 (two incidents), 1988 and 1990 (West German sub). This went one after the cold war, with similar incidents in 1992, 2011, and 2014.

A controversy grew after the fall of the USSR, as many archives were being declassified and books were written. It happened that many of these violations for author Ola Tunander, seemed to have originated in NATO top secret operations. These submarines were on their way of spying the Russians, or were used in coordination with the Swedish Navy to play the role of the agressors. The 1980s incidents were so numerous that they spawned a famous novel in Sweden, a best seller called "The Troubled Man" (Den orolige mannen) by Henning Mankell.


A NATO 'Whiskey' class submarine. In October 1981 S-366 was grounded off the Karlskrona underwater rocks, becoming for the international press the famous "Whiskey on the rocks".

Svenska Marinen today:

post-cold war Reorganization

In FY 1995/96, the government proposed that basic training at Norrland naval command was terminated. Annual conscription in the Navy indeed has been reduced from 6,300 to 4,100 conscripts yearly. The Defense Decree 1992 made numerous budget cuts, taking in account the threat of USSR was no longer there. A commission found there was overcapacity in the navy's training organization, and especially in the coastal artillery. Thus all training in the Norrland Coast naval command was to cease in 1997. The Härnösand Coast Artillery Regiment was dissolved a year later.

2001 reforms and bases

The government's starting point was a report stating only two units were needed to meet the training of coastal artillery units. One was thus intended to be the main unit for coastal artillery (which of course included missiles). Prior to 2001 there were still three Coast Artillery Regiments in operations:
-Vaxholm Coast Artillery Regiment (The First Coast Artillery Brigade (KA 1)
-Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment (Second Coast Artillery Brigade (KA 2)
-Gothenburg Coast Artillery Regiment (KA 4)
-Gotland's Coast Artillery Regiment (KA 3)
The Vaxholm Coastal artillery regiment was chosen to be the main unit. Indeed it had already extensive infrastructures and was close to the Stockholm archipelago. It also included training and shooting ranges and was well-dimensioned. It was also made important to maintain coordination with other units in the Stockholm area.

The support unit for Vaxholm was to be decided either for Karlskrona or Gothenburg. However it was also decided to invest more in Gothenburg and Karlskrona as they lacked practice fields before to be considered suitable as support units. Gothenburg was eventually chosen. The deciding factor what Gothenburg was Sweden's second city and had a central location in Western Sweden, not too far away from Vaxholm. Eventually the Karlskrona Coast Artillery Regiment and Second Coast Artillery Brigade and Gotland's Coast Artillery Regiment (KA 3) on Gotland were dissolved.

The main consequence was the practical dissolution of fixed coastal artillery. Remaining assets passed to the amphibious force. The two coastal artillery regiments became amphibious regiments, each comprising an amphibious brigade and three amphibian battalions. From June 30, 2000 all remaining forts were decommissioned, closed for overhaul, for most to be demilitarized and open to public as museums. The amphibious corps was formed in July with the Vaxholm amphibious regiment and Älvsborg's amphibious regiment fed by the Amphibious Combat School.
The Coast Artillery Combat School was now part of Vaxholm's amphibious regiment, it was renamed the Amphibious Combat School. This better reflected its activities.

The Riksdag was proposed by the Government that tactical organization was reduced by dismantling local defense area staffs, local naval commands and flight commands. A brand new naval and aerospace tactical command was co-located with the all-arms Swedish Operational Command. The proposal was adopted by the Riksdag, and resulted in much budget savings (and drastic personal reduction). On June 30, 2000, naval commands were dissolved, replaced by two new centralized units based on the two naval bases of Gothenburg and Vaxholm.

2004 and 2009 reforms

Prior to the 2004 decree, the government proposed to dissolve the two naval bases organization, with naval combat new tasks, and international changes, notably from NATO. The government proposed a single naval base, including a main base and a "backup base" if needed. However as it could lead to ambiguities of command and less rational organizations a single naval base was to be maintained, responsible for the entirety of Sweden's naval defence.

A new framework was setup, which still enabled two additional locations. The new base organization should consist of shipbuilding resources for large ships maintenance and staff, plus infrastructure, quays and mooring facilities. In January 2005, this single naval base supervised several maritime information companies.

Training of amphibious units was needed and urged Vaxholm's Amf 1 to be maintained. Älvsborg's amphibious regiment (Amf 4) in Gothenburg had limited training facilities however and the Riksdag was proposed that the Amphibious Combat School should be discontinued, and staff and assets relocated to the Naval Combat School in Karlskrona.

The new naval program

Today's Swedish Navy is headed by Marinchefen Rear Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, senior representative of the Swedish Royal Navy's combat forces. There is no longer a vice admiral in the Navy. This force is splitted between the:
-1st Submarine Flotilla (1. ubflj) Karlskrona
-3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla (3. sjöstridsflj) Karlskrona
-4th Naval Warfare Flotilla (4. sjöstridsflj) Berga, Muskö.
-1st Marine Regiment (Amf 1), Berga.
-Swedish Naval Warfare Centre (SSS) Karlskrona.

The current fleet counts 5 submarines of the Gotland and Södermanland classes, 7 corvettes (Göteborg and Visby classes), 9 minesweepers (Koster and Styrsö class), 13 Patrol Boats (Stockholm class and Tapper class), 147 Stridsbåt 90 (light "Combat Boats"), the long range patrol vessel HSwMS Carlskrona, the intelligence vessel HSwMS Orion, 100 G class Landing Crafts, 3 auxiliaries, 2 tugs, 1 Torpedo salvage vessel, 3 transports, 3 Griffon 2000TD Hovercrafts and 7 training vessels. In total 300 ships round, but most are of very low tonnage. The Svenska Marinen participated (marine troops mostly), to the War in Afghanistan (since 2002) and the fleet to the ongoing Operation Atalanta (since 2008) against piracy on the African horn.

Read More/Src

Conway's all the world's fighting ships 1947-95
//sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_marinen
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_of_the_Swedish_Navy
//www.forsvarsmakten.se/en/about/organisation/the-navy/
//militarhistoria.se/vapen/sjostrid/gota-lejons-sista-resa
//laststandonzombieisland.com/2014/12/03/warship-wednesday-december-3-2014-the-scandinavian-leviathan/
//forum.worldofwarships.eu/topic/8524-sweden-in-world-of-warships/?page=2
//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_cm_tornautomatpj%C3%A4s_m/70
//www.marinmuseum.se/en/museum-ships/the-vastervik-missile-ship
forum.worldofwarships.eu/topic/9401-swedish-aircraft-carrier-cruiser-1946/