Bjørgvin class battleship
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| Bjørgvin-class coastal battleship | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Class type: | Coastal defence ship |
| Preceded by: | Eidsvold-class |
| Succeeded by: | N/A, Last battleship line authorized by Norwegian government |
| Ships of the line: | Bjørgvin, Nidaros |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 4,900 tons |
| Length: | 94.00 m |
| Beam: | 16.80 m |
| Draft: | 5.40 m |
| Speed: | 15 knots (27.8 km/h) |
| Complement: | 305 |
| Power: | 4,000 shp (2,982.8 KW) |
| Drive: | Reciprocating steam engines |
| Fuel: | Coal |
| Armament: | 2 x 24 cm (9.45 inch) guns 4 x 15 cm (5.90 inch) guns 6 x 10 cm (3.94 inch) guns 2 x submerged torpedo tubes |
| Armour | Belt:7 inch (17.78 cm) Bulkheads:4 inch (10,16 cm) Barbettes:8 inch (20.32 cm) Turrets:8 inch (20.32 cm) Decks:2.5 inch (6.35 cm) Conning tower:8 inch (20.32 cm) |
The Bjørgvin class coastal battleships were ordered by Norway in 1912 to supplement the older Eidsvold class and Tordenskjold class coastal defence ships. The two ships laid down were compulsoraly purchased by the Royal Navy when World War I broke out, and classified as monitors. The British government paid Norway £370,000 as compensation for each ship.
Contents |
[edit] Ships in class
- Bjørgvin (1912) - Compulsoraly purchased by the British Navy and renamed HMS Glatton, blew up in September 1918.
- Nidaros (1912) - Compulsoraly purchased by the British Navy and renamed HMS Gorgon.
[edit] Description
The Bjørvin class would be significantly more heavily armed than the previous Eidsvold class:
- Two 24 cm/50 guns, which in British service were relined to use standard British ammunition and became 9.2"/51.[1] These were considered among the longest-ranged guns in the world in 1918. As designed, they would have fired a 190 kg (419 lb) projectile with a muzzle velocity of 884 m/s (2,900 ft/s), capable of penetrating 22.2 cm (8.75 in) of face-hardened armour at a range of 7,000 m (7,650 yards).
- Four 15 cm/50 in single turrets - one aft, one fore, two midships (one on either side). In British service they were relined to take standard 6 in (15 cm) ammunition.[2]
- Six 10 cm (3.94 in) guns
- Two submerged torpedo tubes.
In addition to the heavier armament, the two ships of the Bjørgvin class were also signigicantly better armoured, with her armour better distributed:
- 7 inch (17.78 cm) thick armour in the belt
- 8 inch (20.32 cm) thick armour on the turrets
- 8 inch (20.32 cm) thick armour in the barbettes
- 2.5 inch (6.35 cm) thick armoured deck
- 8 inch (20.32 cm) thick armour on the conning tower
- 4 inch (10,16 cm) thick armoured bulkheads.
[edit] External links
- Model of KNM Bjørgnvin, head on view
- Details of the forecastle and details of bridge.
- The loss of the HMS Glatton, an "interesting little ship", retrieved 15 January 2007
[edit] Notes
- ^ British 9.2"/51 (23.4 cm) Mark XII, updated 8 April 2005, retrieved 9 December 2005
- ^ British 6"/49 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XVIII, updated 1 April 2005, retrieved 9 December 2005
[edit] References
- Model of KNM Bjørgnvin, from the website of the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum, retrieved 9 December 2005
- On guns, see Notes.
- Naval History via Flix: KNM Nidaros, retrieved 11 December 2005
- Naval History via Flix: Technical Details of Ship HMS Gorgon, retrieved 9 December 2005
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