Tordenskjold class battleship

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Tordenskjold-class coastal defence ship


Plan of panserskipet Tordenskjold. Note heavy guns in turrets fore and aft, and secondary armament in central battery.
Class Overview
Class type: Coastal defence ship
Preceded by: N/A, First coastal defence ship line authorized by Norwegian government
Succeeded by: Eidsvold-class
Ships of the line: Tordenskjold, Harald Haarfagre
General characteristics
Displacement: 3.852 tons
Length: 92.66 m
Beam: 14.78 m
Draft: 5.38
Speed: 16.9 knots (31.3 km/h)
Complement: 245
Power: 4,500 shp (3,355.6 KW)
Drive: Reciprocating steam engines
Fuel: Coal
Armament: 2 x 21cm/45 (8.2 inch) guns
6 x 12cm/45 (4.7 inch) guns
6 x 7.6cm/40 (3 inch) guns
6 x 1pdr Quick Fire gun
2 x 45 cm (18 inch) submerged torpedo tubes
Armour Belt:7 inches (17.78 cm)
Bulkheads:
Barbettes:
Turrets:8 inch (20.32 cm)
Decks:

The Tordenskjold class of coastal defence ships was ordered by Norway as part as the general rearmament in the time leading up to the events in 1905 - when Norway broke out of the union with Sweden - the two ships in the class (Tordenskjold and Harald Haarfagre) remained the backbone (alongside the slightly newer Eidsvold class) of the Royal Norwegian Navy until they were considered 'unfit for war' in the mid 1930's.

Contents

[edit] Description

Designed and built as typical pre-dreadnought battleships, although on a scale more suited to the fjords and narrow waters of Norway, the Tordenskjold class carried guns in a wide range of calibers:

  • Two 21cm/45 (8.2 inch) guns in turrets fore and aft as the main armament.
  • Six 12cm/45 (4.7 inch), mounted three on each side in a central battery, as the secondary armament.
  • Six 7.6cm/40 (3 inch) guns, also mounted in the central battery, as the tertiary armament.
  • Six 1pdr Quick Fire guns. These were meant to be used against torpedo boats.

The Tordenskjold class was armoured to withstand battle with ships of a similar class, but her protection system could not withstand attacks from heavier ships nor underwater attacks very well:

[edit] Fate

Both ships were phased out from active duty in the mid 1930s, and were used as training vessels. After the German invasion of Norway in 1940, they were taken by the Germans and turned into floating Flak batteries. After the war they were returned to the Royal Norwegian Navy and served as barracks for a short time before they were sold for scrapping.

[edit] Gallery

Plan view of Tordenskjold class costal battleship. Note heavy guns in turrets on either end, secondary armament in central battery.

Sideplan of Tordenskjold class costal battleship. Note heavy guns in turrets on either end, secondary armament in central battery, of particular interest is the light QF guns mounted on top of the turrets.

Photograph of
P/S Tordenskjold from 1900.

Panserskip Tordenskjold in Amsterdam shortly after 1918.

Models of the coastal defence cruisers Tordenskiold and Eidsvold. Eidvold in the rear.

[edit] References

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Norwegian coastal battleships
Tordenskjold class:
Eidsvold class:
Bjørgvin class':
Battleships of the Royal Norwegian Navy