Tordenskjold-class coastal defence ship

Template:Infobox ship class overview {{Infobox ship characteristics

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Ship type=Coastal defence ship

Ship tonnage=

Ship displacement= 3,858 long tons (3,920 t)

Ship length=*92.66 m (304 ft 0 in) (overall length) 85.34 m (280 ft 0 in) length between perpendiculars

Ship beam= 14.78 m (48 ft 6 in)

Ship draught= 5.38 m (17 ft 8 in)

Ship propulsion=2 × triple-expansion steam engines

Ship power=*3 cylindrical boilers 4,500 ihp (3,356 kW)

Ship speed= 16.9 knots (31.3 km/h; 19.4 mph)

Ship range=

Ship complement=245

Ship armament=*2 × 21 centimetres (8.3 in) guns 6 × 12 centimetres (4.7 in) guns 6 × 12-pdr (76 mm (3 in)) guns 6 × 1-pdr Quick-firing guns 2 × 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes

Ship armour=*Harvey armor Belt armor : 7–4 in Gun turrets : 8–5 in

|} The Tordenskjold class was commissioned by Norway during the military buildup preceding the Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, when Norway separated from the Union between Sweden and Norway. The pair of vessels in this class (Tordenskjold and Harald Haarfagre) served as key components of the Royal Norwegian Navy, alongside the somewhat newer , until they were deemed no longer combat-capable by the mid-1930s.

Description

Conceived and constructed as traditional pre-dreadnought battleships but scaled down to navigate Norway’s fjords and confined waters, the Tordenskjold class featured a diverse array of artillery:

• The primary weaponry consisted of two 21 cm/45 (8.2 inch) guns housed in turrets positioned at the front and rear.
• Secondary firepower included six 12 cm/45 (4.7 inch) guns arranged three per side within a central battery.
• Tertiary armament comprised six 7.6 cm/40 (3 inch) guns, also mounted in the central battery.
• Additionally, six 1-pdr Quick Firing guns were installed to defend against torpedo boat threats.

Armor protection was designed to resist engagements with similarly classed vessels but was insufficient against more heavily armed opponents or underwater assaults:

• A belt of 7 inches (17.78 cm) Harvey armour encased the hull.
• The turrets were shielded with 8 inches (20.32 cm) of the same Harvey armour.

Fate

Both vessels were withdrawn from active duty during the mid-1930s and subsequently repurposed as training ships. Following the German invasion of Norway in 1940, the Germans seized them and converted the ships into stationary Flak gun platforms. After World War II concluded, they were restored to the Royal Norwegian Navy, where they briefly functioned as barracks before being sold for dismantling.

Ships

Construction details

Ship name	Keel laid	Launch date	Commissioning date
Harald Haarfagre	18 March 1896	4 January 1897	10 June 1897
Tordenskjold	18 March 1896	10 March 1897	2 April 1898

Gallery

• 
  Photograph of
  P/S Tordenskjold circa 1900.
• 
  Scale models of the coastal defence cruisers Tordenskiold (foreground) and Eidsvold.

Bibliography

• Brook, Peter. Warships for Export: Armstrong Warships 1867–1927. Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society, 1999. ISBN 0-905617-89-4.
• Chesneau, Roger and Eugene M. Kolesnik. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway's Maritime Press, 1979. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
• Dodson, Aidan & Nottlemann, Dirk (2023). "The German Flak Ships, Part I: The German and ex-Norwegian Hulls". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2023. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 112–127. ISBN 978-1-4728-5713-2.

External links

• Naval History via Flix: KNM Harald Haarfagre, accessed 12 December 2005