S-Boats in der Schwedish Navy 1921 - 2000 (Marinen)

The outset of the Swedish  SD-boat-force is the year 1921 when the Swedish Navy acquired the two Italian boats "MAS 231" and "MAS 232" (MAS = Motoscafo Armato Silurante) and commissioned them as "MTB 1" and "MTB 2". The 12-t-boats were propelled by two Isotto Fraschini L 350 gasoline-motors with 240 PS each and achieved a speed of 28 knots. They were armed with two lateral trowing-off-equipments for 45,7 cm-torpedoes and two 6,5 mm-machineguns.

"MTB 1" (ex "MAS 231") - Picture: Archives L. Törnberg (Vet.Fltl)

The boats were mainly acquired for the familiarization with this V-frame type of vehicle and the comparison with the English one-stage-boats Thornycroft-55'-CMB (CMB = Coastal Motorboat) bought in 1925, which were indicated with "MTB 3" and "MTB 4". 

"MTB 4" - Picture: Archives T. Kunzmann

In the year 1939 Sweden ordered from British Powerboat Co. two 60'-boats which were to be integrated into the navy as "T 1" and "T 2" ("T" for torpedoboat). While these two boats were confiscated by the Britsh Royal Navy and commissioned as "MGB 44" and "MGB 45" because of the outbreak of the war, the two 60'-boats ordered from Vosper Ltd.  - "T 3" and "T 4" - could be delivered.

"T 4 " - Picture: Archives T. Kunzmann

As a compensation for the boats confiscated by the British Royal Navy two ELCO 70' PT-boats ("PT" for Patrol Torpedo) were acquired. They got the indicators "T 1" and "T 2". 

ELCO 70'-Torpedo-S-Boat, here US "PT 10" - Picture: US Navy

The boats did not quite correspond with the expectations of the navy and, therefore, Sweden bought in 1940 the modern Italian boats „MAS 505“, „MAS 508“, "MAS 511" and "MAS 524", which were indicated "T 11" to "T 14". 

"T 14" - Picture: Archives T. Kunzmann

 Starting 1941 Kockums Mekaniska Verkstads Aktiebolag, Malmö built the boats "T 15" to"T 18" in licens. The boats were one-stage-gliders with a welded steelhull. The boats were not decommissioned before 1957. 

"T 15" - Picture: Archives T. Kunzmann

In the years 1942/43 Kockums built from Bagliotti- plans the lightly enlarged boats „T 21“ to „T 31“. By instalation of the further developed Isotta Fraschini-motors with 1500 PS they achieved a speed of 50 kn. "T 21" to T 27" were decommissioned in 1959,  "T28" to "T 31" followed in 1960. "T 23" was sold to private hands. Her further whereabouts are unknown. A living example for this class of boats is "T 26", which today is sailed in the Veteranflotilje, while the other boats have been broken up.

Ex-"T 26" at EDIP 2019 off Gålö - Picture: Archives Veteran Flotilje

The Swedish Arms-Plan 1941 planned 150-t-S-boats. The required 3000 PS diesel-engines were not available in Sweden, an import from Germany was not possible dur to the war, therefore, an order was left to Götaverken, Malmö, to develop a high-performance diesel-engine. At the same time a gasturbine-propulsion was considered. A building-phase of ten years followed and not before 1949 funds for 12 boats were approved, nine operational and three trial-boats.

The order for these boats was given to Kockums and in the years 1950 – 1953 „T32" to "T 40“ were built as one-stage steel-boats. The boats were decommissioned in 1966. "T 36" sails as a museum-boat in the Veteranflotilje today.

Ex-"T 38" at EDIP - Picture: Archives Veteran Flotilje

For trail-reasons as requested in the Arms-Plan 1949 the trial-boat "T 41" was built with scarcely altered main-measurements. She corresponded in hull and propulsion the class "T 32" to "T 40", but the steel-hull had no stage. Thus the seaworthiness was increased on cost of speed. Upon the end of the seaworthiness-trials the boat was employed for trials with the 40 mm Bofors.

The other two approved trial-boats differed totally in shape and indication from the other boats of the Swedish Navy.

From American stocks a Vosper-boat built in the USA was bought. This boat served as a comparison-object to the V-frame boats with and without stage. She got the indicator "T 1".

The Fisksätra-Verft, Västervik, built a small, easy to produce trail-boat with the indicator "T 201". Basis for this boat which was designed in co-operation with German constructors was the small-S-boat "Hydra" of the Kriegsmarine. The hull was, however, not built from wood but from steel. The boat got two 53,3 cm torpedo-tubes. As propulsion served an Isotto Fraschini motor with 1500 PS and a Ford march-motor with 100 PS. The boat achieved a speed of 42 knots.

Trial-boat "T 201" - Picture: Swedish Navy

The boat was also used for sea-trials of the 1800 PS CRM-motor and 1956 for the trials of the KaMeWa fixed and adjustable propellers. 1962 she was left to the Airforce as a trails-boat.

In the years 1950/51 a trails-boat - "T 101" - was built at Statsverv Karlskrona, she was the big, seaworthy boat of a length of 45 m, and 5,8 m beam required in the Arms-Plan 1941. The displacement was 170 ts. The hull was following that of the German WW-II-boats, however, it had a flat forecastle. The originally installed 3000 PS fastrunning-motors of Götaverke were soon replaced by 3000 PS MB 518-motors, whereby the boat achieved a speed of 37 knots. 

She got the name "Perseus" and served for trials with the high-performance diesel-engines developed by Götaverken, for gasturbines, for the KaMeWa-propulsion of the "Spica"-class, and for SeaCat-missiles. She was broken up in 1967.

"T 101 - Peseus" - Picture: Archives T. Kunzmann

In  the budget 1952 a total of 26 S-boats was foreseen, 15 small and 11 big ones. 1954 – 1959 the 15 small boats "T 42" - "T 56" werde built by Kockums at Malmö and by the Statsverv Stockholm.

The boats were constructed as stageless bent-frame-gliders, on the cost of speed - maximum speed 43 knots - the Swedish Navy achieved as better seaworthiness.

Ex-"T 46" at EDIP off Gålö - Picture: Archives Veteranflotilje  

Ex-"T 56" at EDIP off Gålö - Picture: Archives Veteranflotilje  

1952 the Swedish Navy finalized the specifications of the 11 big boats on the basis of "T 101". The indicator of the Boat was "T 102". The boats were planned as round-frame steel displacement-boats. In the same year Sweden ordered six boats T 102 "Plejad", T 103 "Polaris", T 104 "Pollux", T 105 "Regulus", T 106 "Rigel", and T 107 "Aldebaran") from Lürssen-Werft. The boats were delivered 1953 – 1955 and 1955 a second lot was ordered with five boats (T 108 "Altair", T 109 "Antares", T 110 "Arcturus", T 111 "Argus", and T 112 "Astraea"). In difference to the first lot the boats of the second lot got an electrical equipment of Swedish make.  

T 102 "Plejad" - Picture: Swedish Navy

While the smaller boats of the Swedish Navy were called Motortorpedbåtar (motortorpedoboats) the boatsd of "Plejad"-Klasse (T 102 – T 112) were called Torpedbåtar (torpedoboats). 

1960/61 a new Swedish Fleet-Construction-Plan was issued, which gave a multitude of smaller boat with fighting strength priority over destroyers and cruisers. Therefore, six further S-boats following "Plejad"-class were built: T 121 "Spica", T 122 "Sirius", T 123 "Capella", T 124 "Castor", T 125 "Vega", and T 126 "Virgo".

Ex-T121 "Spica" at EDIP off Gålö - Picture: Archives Veteranflotiljen

The 200-t-boats, the hull of "Jaguar"- was bought from Lürssen-Werft, were built for 115 Mio SKr by Götaverken, Malmö, and der Statsverv Stockholm.  

As improvement of the "Spica"-class 12 boats of "Norrköping"-class were built by Karlskronaverv from 1971 until 1976: T 131 "Norrköping", T 132 "Nynäshamn", T 133 "Norrtälje", T 134 "Varberg", T 135 "Västeras", T 136 "Västervik", T 137 "Umea", T 138 "Pitea", T 139 "Lulea", T 140 "Halmstad", T 141 "Strömstad", and T 142 "Ystad ". 

The boats were reconstructed as missile-boats in the 80s. For that die aft four toirpedo-tubes were taken from board and in stead of them four start-containers for the surface-to-surface missile  RBS 15 were installed. The boats, therefore, got the indicator "R" for Robotbåt instead of "T" for Torpedbåt. Six vessels of that class were again retrofitted in the 90s and got the incication Robotbåt (missileboat) type "Ystad". 

The last two boats of the class, "Norrköping" and "Ystad", were decommissioned in 2002. As living witnesses of this class "R 142 Ystad" is with the Veteran Flotilje at Gålö and since 2000 "R 136 Västervik" is in the Marinemuseum Karlskrona. The rearming of "R 136 Västervik" to the original status is performed by "Västerviks Venner", which also supports the naval museum in maintenance of the boat, in order to keep it as a living museum-vessel in the future.  

Ex-R 136 "Västervik" at the Harbour of Marinemusem Karlskrona - Picture: Archives Veteranflotilje

Ex-R 142 "Ystad" at Gålö - Picture: Henry Bujack

This class of boats is equipped with the tactical datasystem EPLO by Stansaab Electronik AB.

Since the planning of an own motorgunboat of about 170 ts was falling into the timeframe of the commissioning of the Norwegian motorgunboats of classes "Storm" and "Snögg" the Swedish Navy ordered a trail-boat "V 150 Jägaren" at  Båtservice A/S Mandal in April 1971. It corresponded in hull teh Norwegian "Storm"-class boats with a shorter bridge to allow installation of a  57 mm Bofors/L70-gun. She was a aluminium-boat with glasfiber superstructures. As propulsion served two 3500 PS MTU-diesel-engines of type MB 518 D/MB 20 V 672 TY 90. Firecontrol was performed by a Philips-Artillery-Directionsystem. AS missile-armament 6 x Penguin-SSM-Startercontainers were arranged on the quarterdeck. 

V 150 "Jägaren" at Gålö - Picture: Henry Bujack

Since the trials turned out to satisfy the Swedish Navy, 16 further boats of this cloas were ordered in 1974. The boats served in the fleet untll 2016.

Ex "P 151 Hugin" - Picture: Archives Veteran Flotilje