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 (20.7 mph; 33.3 km/h). Commissioned on 3 April 1907, Oscar II served as the flagship of the Swedish Navy, with duties including transporting Swedish King Gustav V and his consort Queen Victoria to summits with Emperors Wilhelm II of Germany and Nicholas II of Russia. During the First World War, the ship supported the Swedish invasion of Åland from February to April 1918. At the end of the conflict, the vessel was decommissioned and only returned to service in September 1929. After being modernised and serving neutral Sweden during the Second World War, the vessel was once again called upon to transport royalty, in this case bringing the body of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, home from Denmark after the air crash of 26 January 1947. Decommissioned on 24 February 1950, Oscar II served as a training hulk until 11 September 1974, the last of several Swedish coastal defence ships to be scrapped.

HSwMS Oscar II Swedish Coastal Defence Ship
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HSwMS 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 commissioned on 12 December 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.

HSwMS Gustaf V, was a Sverige-class coastal defence ship of the Swedish Navy. www.destinationsjourney.com/historical-m... #MaritimeHistory #HSwMSGustafV #coastaldefenseShip #SwedishNavy #Naval #Navy #Warship

HSwMS Sverige was the first Swedish Sverige-class coastal defence ship (Pansarskepp) commissioned May 1917, she served until 1953. Scrapped in 1958. www.destinationsjourney.com/historical-m... #HSwMSSverige #MilitaryHistory #MaritimeHistory #CoastalDefenseShip #SwedishNavy #warship #navy #HMSSverige