HNoMS Ellida (1882-1925)

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The gunship HNoMS Ellida, after the rebuild in 1896.
Career Norwegian State and Navy Flag
Ordered:
Laid down:
Launched: 25 August 1880
Commissioned: 1 July 1882
Fate: Decommissioned and sold 1925
General characteristics
Displacement: 1006 or 1045 tons (sources disagree)
Dimensions:
Armament: 1 x 15cm/25 (5.9 inch) breechloading gun
1 x 12 cm/25 (4.7 inch) breechloading gun
1 x underwater torpedotube
Propulsion: Reciprocating steam engines and sails
10.5 knots on engine
Crew: 130, 121 after rebuild

The HNoMS Ellida was a 1. class gunboat built for the Royal Norwegian Navy. Like all other Norwegian gunships of her era, she carried a reasonable heavy armament on a diminutive hull. A distinct feature of Ellida was that her funnel could be raised and lowered as needed.

It's unclear from the sources if the listed armament is the original armament, or if Ellida originally was armed with a much heavier main gun like the slightly older 1. class gunboat Sleipner. Ellida, like Sleipner, carried an underwater torpedo tube in her bow for firing Whitehead torpedos, and she was the second vessel in the Royal Norwegian Navy equipped with this weapon.

Ellida underwent a refit in 1896, and was reclassified as a steam corvette. From 1898 she was used as a training vessel for cadets. In 1914 Ellida was refitted once more, and became the mother ship and support vessel for the early Norwegian submarines (the A-class. Ellida was decommissioned and sold off in 1925.

The vessel was built at the Naval Yard at Horten, and had the yard number 59.

[edit] Notes and references


Norwegian gunships
1. class:
Ellida, Sleipner, Viking and Frithjof
2. class:
Vale class: Vale, Brage, Nor, Uller and Vidar
Gor class: Gor and Tyr
Æger

Gunships of the Royal Norwegian Navy