Gor class gunship

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Gor-class gunship
[[Image:\|300px]] Gor class gunship.
Class Overview
Class type:	Gunship, later rebuilt to minelayers
Preceded by:	Vale class
Succeeded by:	HNoMS Ægir
Ships of the line:	Gor and Tyr
General Characteristics
Displacement:	273, 289 or 194tons (sources disagree)
Length:	31.27 m (103 feet)
Beam:
Draft:
Speed:	10 knots ( km/h)
Complement:	44 (318 after rebuild)
Power:	450 shp ( KW)
Drive:	Reciprocating steam engines
Fuel:	Coal
Armament:	As built: 1 x 26cm/30 (10.2 inch) Krupp breachloading gun[1] 1 x 1pdr (37 mm / 1.46 inch) automatic gun[2] 2 x 1pdr (37 mm / 1.46 inch) revolving gun[3] After rebuild: 1 x 12 cm (4.72 inch) gun Either 1 x 76 mm (3 inch) or 1 x 57 mm (2.24 inch) QF gun 2 x 37mm (1.46 inch) guns Mines
Armour	Belt: Bulkheads: Barbettes: Turrets: Decks: Conning tower:

The Gor-class was a class of two gunboats built for the Royal Norwegian Navy between 1884 and 1887. Small, nimble vessels, they were armed with a single large caliber gun for offensive purposes and several small, quick firing guns for self defence.

The main gun was huge for such a small craft, roughtly a quarter of the length of the whole vessel, and of the same caliber as heavy battleship guns of the same era. It must be assumed that a single gunboat of the Gor-class would have been able to inflict serious damage to an opposing battleship.

[edit] Service history and fate

Shortly before World War I, both vessels were rebuilt as minelayers. During this rebuild, the heavy, large caliber gun was replaced with a more modern 12 cm breachloader, and one of the 37 mm guns was replaced with a more potent 57 mm (Tyr) or 76 mm (Gor) gun. Since the heavy gun and ammunition was removed, these diminutive vessels could carry a useful number of mines.

Both vessels were kept in service until the German invasion in 1940 and both fell into German hands for the remainder of the war.

After World War II, the vessels were returned to the Royal Norwegian Navy, and scrapped.