Royal Norwegian Navy

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This article is about the Royal Navy of Norway. For other Royal Navies, see Royal Navy (disambiguation).
Military of Norway
Components
Army Hæren

Navy Marinen (Coast Guard Kystvakten)

Air Force Luftforsvaret

Home Guard Heimevernet
Ranks
Norwegian military ranks
Norwegian State and Navy Flag
Royal Norwegian Navy Emblem

The Royal Norwegian Navy (often abbreviated as RNoN) is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. As of 2006, the Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 if mobilized, and 32,000 if fully mobilized) and 70 vessels, including 3 light frigates, 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 6 corvettes, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support vessels and 2 training vessels. The Navy also includes the Coast Guard.

In Norwegian, the Royal Norwegian Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "KNM," short for Kongelig Norske Marine (Royal Norwegian Navy). In English, they are given the prefix "HNoMS", short for "His/Her Norwegian Majesty's Ship". Coast Guard vessels are given the prefix "KV" for KongeligeVakttjeneste(Royal Guardservice) in Norwegian and "NoCGV" for Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel in English.

Contents


[edit] History

The history of the Norwegian navy is long, and goes back to the leidang which was first established by King Håkon the Good on Gulating in 955. Although variants of the Leidang had at that time already existed for hundreds of years.

During most of the union between Norway and Denmark the two countries had a common fleet. This fleet was established by King Hans in 1509. A large proportion of the crew and officers were Norwegian. In 1709 there were about 15,000 personnel enrolled in the common fleet; of these 10,000 were Norwegian. When Tordenskjold carried out his famous raid at Dynekil in 1716 more than 80 percent of the sailors and 90 percent of the soldiers in his force were Norwegian.

The modern, separate Royal Norwegian Navy was founded on April 12, 1814 by Prince Christian Fredrik. At the time of separation the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy was in a poor state and Norway was left with the lesser share. All officers of Danish birth were ordered to return to Denmark and the first commander of the navy became Captain Thomas Fasting. The navy consisted of 39 officers, seven brigs (one more under construction), one schoonerbrig, eight gun schooners, 46 gun chalups and 51 gun barges.[1] April 1, 1815 the navy's leadership was reorganized into a navy ministry, and Fasting became the first navy minister.

Norway retained its independent armed forces, including the navy, during the union with Sweden . During most of the union the navy was subjected to low funding, even though there were ambitious plans to expand it. In the late 19th century the fleet was increased to defend a possible independent Norway from her Swedish neighbours.

Norway was neutral during World War I, but the navy was mobilized to protect Norway's neutrality. Norway's neutrality was sorely tested - the nation's merchant fleet suffered heavy casualties to German U-Boats and commerce raiders.

World War II began for the Royal Norwegian Navy on April 8, 1940, when the German torpedo boat Albatross attacked the guard ship HNoMS Pol III. In the opening hours of the battle of Narvik, the old coastal-defense battleships ("panserskip") Eidsvold and Norge, both built before 1905 and hopelessly obsolete, attempted to put up a fight against the invading German warships; both were torpedoed and sunk. The German invasion fleet heading for Oslo was significantly delayed when Oscarsborg fortress opened fire with its two old 28 cm guns, followed by the 150 mm guns on Kopås on the eastern side of the Drøbak strait. The 28 cm guns inflicted heavy damage on the German cruiser Blücher, which was subsequently sunk by torpedoes fired from a land based torpedo battery. The Blücher sank with over 1,000 casualties among its crew and the soldiers it carried. The German invasion fleet - believing Blücher had struck a mine - retreated south and called for air strikes on the fortress. This delay allowed the King of Norway and the Royal family, as well as the government, to escape captivity.

On June 7, 1940 13 ships, five airplanes and 500 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy followed the King to Great Britain and continued the fight from bases there until the war ended. The number of men was steadily increased as Norwegians living abroad, civilian sailors and men escaping from Norway joined the Navy. Funds from Nortraship were used to buy new ships, airplanes and equipment.

Ten ships and 1,000 men from the Royal Norwegian Navy participated in the invasion of Normandie in 1944.

During the war the navy operated 118 ships, at the end of the war the navy had 58 ships and 7,500 men in service. The navy lost 27 ships, 18 fishing boats (of the Shetland bus) and 933 men in World War II.[2]

The navy had its own air force from 1912 to 1944.

The building of a new fleet in the 1960s was made possible with substantial economic support from the United States. During the cold war, the Royal Norwegian Navy was optimized for sea denial in coastal waters, in order to make an invasion from the sea as difficult and costly as possible. With that mission in mind, the navy consisted of a large number of small vessels and up to 15 small diesel-electric submarines. The Royal Norwegian Navy is now replacing those vessels with a smaller number of larger and more capable vessels.

The Royal Norwegian Navy Museum is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Navy's history.

[edit] Bases

Main article: List of Royal Norwegian Navy bases

Here are some of The Royal Norwegian Navy's bases:

[edit] Organization

The Navy is organized into the Fleet, the Coast Guard, and the Naval Schools. The Fleet consists of:

  • Fleet Chief Staff,
  • Frigate Branch (Fregattvåpenet),
  • Submarine Branch (Ubåtvåpenet),
  • MTB Branch (MTB-våpenet),
  • Mine Branch (Minevåpenet)
  • Naval Ranger Branch (Marinens jegervåpen)
  • Logistics Branch (Logistikkvåpenet).

[edit] Units and vessels

Navy Jack
Navy Jack
The Fridtjof Nansen
The Fridtjof Nansen

[edit] Fleet units and vessels (present)

[edit] Frigate Branch

[edit] Mine Branch

[edit] Submarine Branch

The submarine fleet consists of several Ula class submarines.

  • 1st Submarine Squadron Ula class submarines:

[edit] MTB Branch

Skjold class patrol boat.
Skjold class patrol boat.

The Coastal Warfare fleet consists of several Hauk class patrol boats, and one brand new Skjold class missile patrol boat.

  • Missile Torpedo Boat Command
    • Missile Patrol Boat (Skjold class):
      • Skjold (P960)
    • 21st Missile Torpedo Boat Squadron (Hauk class):
      • Tjeld (P989)
      • Stegg (P994)
      • Ravn (P996)
      • Geir (P998)
    • 22nd Missile Torpedo Boat Squadron (Hauk class):
      • Terne (P988)
      • Jo (P992)
      • Gribb (P997)
      • Erle (P999)'
    • Out of service:
      • Hauk (P986)
      • Ørn (P987)
      • Teist (P991)
      • Skarv (P990)
      • Lom (P993)
      • Falk (P995)
    • Support vessel:

[edit] Naval Ranger Branch

[edit] Logistics Branch

- In the process of establishing a "logistics on keel" system. - The program will include two LPD Landing Platform Dock, number of different replenishment ships, logistic support vessels, logships and a number of different Support vessels

[edit] Coast Guard units and vessels

[edit] Naval schools

A Norwegian Navy Seaman in his dress uniform, the hat bearing the KNM Harald Haarfagre insignia.
A Norwegian Navy Seaman in his dress uniform, the hat bearing the KNM Harald Haarfagre insignia.
  • Royal Norwegian Naval Basic Training Establishment, KNM Harald Haarfagre, Stavanger
  • Royal Norwegian Navy Officer Candidate School, Horten and Bergen
  • Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, Laksevåg, Bergen
  • Royal Norwegian Naval Training Establishment, KNM Tordenskjold, Haakonsvern, Bergen

Two of the schools of the Navy retain ship prefixes, reminiscent of Royal Navy practises.

Fact sheet from Department of Defense

[edit] Navy vessels (future)

The Norwegian Navy is undergoing a major modernization project to reinforce its position as a modern and competent fleet. Some of these projects are the construction of five new Fridtjof Nansen class Aegis frigates, six new Skjold class patrol boats and numerous upgradings of existing models and vessels. The plans are scheduled to be completed by 2010.

  • Frigates:
  • Missile Patrol Boats:
    • Storm (P961)
    • Skudd (P962)
    • Steil (P963)
    • Glimt (P964)
    • Gnist (P965)

[edit] Insignia

NATO Code OF-10 OF-9 OF-8 OF-7 OF-6 OF-5 OF-4 OF-3 OF-2 OF-1 OF-D Student Officer
Flag of Norway Norway (Edit) No Equivalent
Admiral
Viseadmiral
Kontreadmiral
Flaggkommandør
Kommandør
Kommandørkaptein
Orlogskaptein
Kapteinløytnant
Løytnant
Fenrik		 No Equivalent

(enlisted ranks not available on wikipedia)

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ From the book "Fra krigens tid"]
  2. ^ Berg 1997: 154
  3. ^ Third frigate on Norwegian hands, mil.no (Norwegian)

[edit] Literature

  • Berg, Ole F.: I skjærgården og på havet -Marinens krig 8. april 1940 - 8. mai 1945, Marinens krigsveteranforening, Oslo 1997, ISBN 82-993545-2-8 (Norwegian)

[edit] External links

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