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Ships of the Swedish Navy - 4

To the List of Swedish Surface Combatants

Related Links

Navy Ships - Home Swedish surface combatants part-1 Swedish surface combatants part-2 Swedish surface combatants part-3 Swedish surface combatants part-4 Swedish surface combatants part-5 Swedish surface combatants part-6 Swedish surface combatants part-7 The Psilander Affair in 1940 The Horsfjärden Disaster in 1941 Swedish Submarines Signals Intelligence Ships of Sweden Navy Arms Designations Swedish Combat Boats History of the Swedish Navy History of the Swedish Coast Artillery Uniforms of the Swedish Navy Uniforms of the Swedish Coast Artillery Sweden’s Military Preparedness 1939 - 1945 Military Images, Sweden, 1939 - 1945 Swedish Signals Intelligence Aircraft Swedish Military Aircraft Tanks of Sweden

Source References

1. Örlogsfartyg, Svenska maskindrivna fartyg under tretungad flagg. G von Hofsten, J Waernberg. 2004. 2. Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces) 3. Wikipedia 4. Digitaltmuseum 5. Sjöhistoriska museet = The National Maritime Museum, Stockholm 6. Marinmuseum = The Naval Museum, Karlskrona Top of page

Swedish Warships - Surface Combatants - 3

List of various types of Swedish Motorized Surface Combatants

Battleship Coastal defense ship Cruiser, part-1, part-2 Destroyer, part-1, part-2, part-3 Frigate Corvette Motor torpedo boat Torpedo boat / Missile boat Patrol boat Picket boat Surveillance boat Minelayer / Minehunter / Minesweeper

Definitions

In the description of the ships, there are some concepts and terms that may be worth describing. Pennant No., the recognition number that Swedish warships normally, in peacetime, have painted on the side of certain types of ships. For submarines, it is an abbreviation of the submarine's name. [Hull No. in the US]. Delivered refers to the time when the ship was formally delivered to the Navy from the shipyard. Launched, refers to the time when the ship was christened and launched. Decommissioned normally refers to the time when the ship is permanently removed from the Navy organization. Displacement, expressed in tons, is given with two values, standard displacement, and displacement when the ship is fully equipped. If only one value is given, it refers to standard displacement. For submarines, displacement is given in surface mode and submerged mode. Speed is given in knots and refers to the contracted speed. For submarines, the speed is given in surface mode and submerged mode. Dimensions, given in meters for length, beam, and draft. The length may be given in two dimensions: the waterline and the maximum overall length. If only one length is given, the maximum length is referred to. Beam means the maximum width. Complement, the crew size. It normally refers to the peacetime crew size. Submarine diving depths indicate the maximum permitted diving depth in peacetime. ihp = Indicated horsepower (the theoretical power of a reciprocating engine if it is completely frictionless) The abbreviation "HMS" means “Hans Majestäts Skepp / Hennes Majestäts Skepp” and is used in the Swedish Navy as a prefix before the ship's name, such as HMS Visby. However, HMS was not used by the Swedish Navy until after 1950. For older ships, i.e. built before 1950, "HM" (His Majesty's) was used followed by the ship type and name, e.g. HM Kryssare Tre Kronor. HSwMS is a sometimes used designation for military ships from Sweden when traveling outside Sweden's territorial waters, instead of HMS. In the UK, the same abbreviation stands for Her Majesty's Ship or His Majesty's Ship and has been used in the Royal Navy since the 1660s. The USA uses the designation USS, United States Ship. During WW II, from June 23, 1940, Swedish warships were marked with white transverse lines on their decks and sides so that they could be clearly identified as neutral ships and thus avoid accidental fire from the belligerents.

Destroyer (2)

Destroyers are a type of warship developed in the early 20th century. A destroyer is fast, relatively large, and very heavily armed. Originally, the role of the destroyer was to protect battleships from torpedo boats. Soon enough, destroyers were also equipped with torpedoes. On modern destroyers, torpedoes have been supplemented or replaced by missiles. During and before World War II, destroyers were mainly used for patrol, escort, and anti-submarine duties. They were therefore often armed with anti-submarine equipment such as sonar and depth charges. Start-page: Destroyer

Swedish Destroyers

The Psilander class was a destroyer class consisting of two destroyers, HMS Psilander (18) and HMS Puke (19). The ships were originally Sella class destroyers of the Italian Navy but were purchased by Sweden in 1940. In Italy, they carried the names Giovanni Nicotera and Bettino Ricasoli respectively. At the same time, 2 Italian Romulus class destroyers and four motor torpedo boats were also purchased. On January 21, 1940, all contracts were completed for the purchase of four destroyers, four motor torpedo boats, and other war materials. The four motor torpedo boats, which were of the MAS class that in Sweden was designated T11 - T14, were transported home on M/S Boreland from La Spezia to Gothenburg in March 1940. On April 14, 1940, with Swedish crews, all four destroyers departed together from La Spezia in Italy and the ships arrived in Gothenburg on July 10. The Swedish convoy also included the passenger ship Patricia and the tanker M/T Castor. Because of the war, the Swedish ships went west of Ireland. During a stop in the Faroe Islands, an event occurred that became known as the Psilander Affair. On the way home from Italy, Germany had attacked France and Norway. On June 20, 1940, the four Swedish destroyers in the Faroe Islands were seized by the British Navy on the grounds that they wanted to prevent the Swedish destroyers from falling into the hands of the German Navy on their onward journey to Sweden. After just over a week of intense diplomatic activity between Sweden and the UK, Sweden recovered the seized destroyers and the ships were able to proceed to Gothenburg. After arriving in Sweden, the destroyers were assigned to the Gothenburg squadron. However, the Psilander and Puke proved to be too softly built and rolled heavily in rough seas. It was therefore necessary to build reinforcements into the ships and fit sling keels to the hulls. Psilander (Giovanni Nicotera) was launched in 1926 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1947. Pennant no. 18. Puke (Bettino Ricasoli) was launched in 1926 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1947. Pennant no. 19. The vessels were 85.3 m long and the beam was 8.6 m. The displacement was 970/1,480 tons. Speed: 35 knots. Complement: 133 men. The ships' main armament consisted of four 12 cm m/40 guns in twin turrets. The anti-aircraft defense consisted of two 40 mm anti- aircraft automatic guns m/17 and two 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine guns m/31. There were also four 45.7 cm torpedo tubes m/30, and 30 naval mines. The machinery consisted of 3 steam boilers supplying steam to two steam turbines, each driving a propeller. The machinery developed 36,000 hp which gave a maximum speed of 35 knots. The image shows the destroyer HMS Psilander J18, launched in 1926 in Italy and acquired by Sweden in 1940. Length 85.3 m, beam 8.6 m. Pennant no. 18. Photo in 1940. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo82094A. In 1941-1942 the ships' armament was modified. The m/17 anti-aircraft guns were replaced by two 40 mm anti-aircraft automatic guns m/36 and two twin 8 mm anti-aircraft machine guns m/36. Furthermore, the 45 cm torpedoes were replaced by 53 cm torpedoes, and depth charge throwers and depth charge racks were installed. After a very short service, both ships were placed in material readiness between 1943 and 1944, and in 1947 they were decommissioned. The Romulus class was a destroyer class known in Sweden as coastal destroyers. They consisted of two smaller destroyers, HMS Romulus (27) and HMS Remus (28). The ships were originally Spica 3 class destroyers in the Italian Navy but were purchased by Sweden in 1940. In Italy they carried the names Spica and Astore respectively. At the same time, 2 Italian Psilander-class destroyers and four motor torpedo boats were also purchased. On January 21, 1940, all contracts were completed for the purchase of four destroyers, four motor torpedo boats and other war materials. The four motor torpedo boats, which were of the MAS class that in Sweden was designated T11 - T14, were transported home on M/S Boreland from La Spezia to Gothenburg in March 1940. On April 14, 1940, with Swedish crews, the four destroyers departed together from La Spezia in Italy and, after a dramatic journey to say the least, arrived in Gothenburg on July 10. Due to the war, the Swedish ships went west of Ireland. The Swedish convoy also included the passenger ship Patricia and the tanker M/T Castor. During a stop in the Faroe Islands, an event occurred that became known as the Psilander Affair. On the way home from Italy, Germany had attacked France and Norway. On June 20, 1940, the four Swedish destroyers in the Faroe Islands were seized by the British Navy on the grounds that they wanted to prevent the Swedish destroyers from falling into the hands of the German Navy on their onward journey to Sweden. After just over a week of intense diplomatic activity between Sweden and the UK, Sweden recovered the seized destroyers and the ships were able to proceed to Gothenburg. After arriving in Sweden, the ships of the class were assigned to the Gothenburg Squadron. The ships were intended for escort and surveillance tasks and not offensive operations, which explains the somewhat lighter artillery and torpedo armament. The image shows the destroyer HMS Romulus J27, launched in 1934 in Italy and acquired by Sweden in 1940. Length 81.4 m, beam 8.2 m. Pennant no. 27. Photo in 1940. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo200229. Romulus (Spica) was launched in 1934 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1958. Pennant no. 27. Remus (Astore) was launched in 1934 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1958. Pennant no. 28. The vessels were 81.4 m long and the beam was 8.2 m. The displacement was 630/900 tons. Speed: 34 knots. Complement: 99 men. The ships' main armament consisted of three 10 cm m/40 guns. The anti-aircraft defense consisted of three 20 mm anti-aircraft automatic guns m/38 and two 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine guns m/31. There were also four 45.7 cm torpedo tubes, two depth charge racks m/33 and two depth charge throwers m/33, 28 mines. The image shows a 20 mm anti-aircraft automatic gun m/38 aboard the destroyer Romulus J27, launched in 1934 and acquired by Sweden in 1940. Length 81.4 m, beam 8.2 m. Pennant no. 27. Photo in 1943. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo199543. The machinery consisted of 2 steam boilers supplying steam to two steam turbines, each driving a propeller. The machinery developed 19,000 hp which gave a maximum speed of 34 knots. The destroyers were basically good ships that participated extensively in the neutrality watch of the coastal fleet. They were reclassified as frigates in 1953, but were never rebuilt. The Psilander Affair in 1940 The Psilander affair was an incident that occurred in the Faroe Islands on June 20, 1940, when the four Italian-purchased Swedish destroyers HMS Psilander, Puke, Romulus, and Remus were seized by the British Navy. According to the British, the seizure was made to prevent the German Navy from seizing the destroyers and taking them into German service on the Swedish destroyers' onward journey to Gothenburg across the North Sea. When World War II broke out, Sweden was in great need of rapidly reinforcing its armed forces with new equipment. The navy needed to be expanded with, among other things, destroyers and motor torpedo boats. Manufacturing destroyers in Sweden would take time. It was quicker, if possible, to buy destroyers from other countries. Italy was willing to sell 4 destroyers and 4 motor torpedo boats as a package (all or nothing). The destroyers were two of the Sella class and two of the Spica-3 class. The Sella destroyers were older, launched in 1926, while the Spica-3 destroyers were more modern, launched in 1934. On January 21, 1940, all contracts were completed for the purchase of four destroyers, four motor torpedo boats, and other war materials. The four motor torpedo boats were of MAS class, which in Sweden was designated T11 - T14, and were transported home on M/S Boreland from La Spezia, Italy, to Gothenburg, Sweden, in March 1940. Commander 2nd Class Torsten Hagman was appointed Head of the detachment consisting of the 4 destroyers to sail from Italy to Sweden. The Swedish Lloyd passenger ship Patricia was chartered and converted into an 'auxiliary cruiser' in the fleet and equipped with a 12 cm gun and two 8 mm machine guns. The four destroyer crews that were to sail the purchased destroyers home consisted of 450 Swedish seamen and naval officers. On March 4, 1940, they departed on Patricia from Gothenburg together with Patricia's own crew of 36 men towards La Spezia in northern Italy. Patricia arrived in La Spezia on 19 March. The Patricia was built in 1926 and was 106 m long and the beam was 15 m. After the Italian adventure, she was converted to a submarine depot ship in the Swedish Navy. The image shows HMS Patricia (formerly S/S Patricia, Svenska Lloyd) with Swedish neutrality stripes. Built 1926 in England, length 106 m, beam 15 m, speed 15 knots. Displacement 4,950 tons. Photo in 1943. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo64665A. On March 27, the Italian flags were lowered on the destroyers Bettino Ricasoli, Giovanni Nicotera, Spica, and Astore, and Swedish naval flags were raised on the Puke, Psilander, Romulus, and Remus, which became the Swedish names of the destroyers. Equipment work, training of the Swedish crews, and sea trials were completed on April 13. On April 14, 1940, all four destroyers departed together from La Spezia in northern Italy and the ships arrived in Gothenburg on July 10. Commander Hagman was the Head of the Swedish naval force and also the Ship Commander of HMS Puke. For the first part of the voyage, two Italian naval engineers and seven engineer petty officers were on board the destroyers to help with any engine problems. Also on board the auxiliary cruiser Patricia were 30 purchased torpedoes, ammunition, and a large quantity of spare parts for the destroyers. The motor torpedo boats were already sent home. On April 20, the British naval attaché in Rome announced that “The Admiralty” would guarantee free passage for the Swedish squadron, as had been done with Boreland and Patricia. The British suggested that the Swedes should travel via the English Channel. However, the Swedish Naval Command informed the German legation in Stockholm that the destroyer force planned to travel via Ireland and the Faroe Islands to the Norwegian coast and then close to the coast to Gothenburg, Sweden. At noon on the same day, i.e. April 20, HMS Puke encountered engine problems. HMS Psilander, who was sailing behind HMS Puke, did not have time to turn aside, but at moderate speed hit Puke's stern with her stem. As the watertight bulkheads held, both destroyers could continue after a while and the fleet headed for Cartagena in Spain for repairs, where they arrived the following day and were able to dock at a Spanish naval shipyard. Psilander was docked for repairs, while Puke was repaired without docking. After replenishing supplies, the destroyers departed on April 26 for Lisbon, where they arrived on April 28. The Patricia had been sent in advance to Lisbon to bunker the ordered oil. However, the stay in Lisbon was to be month- long as there was no oil available, only fresh water. The Puke's damages from the collision earlier were finally repaired in the dock. The image shows the destroyer HMS Romulus behind HMS Psilander underway in the Mediterranean in 1940. Image: Wikipedia. The legation of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in London sent a telegram to the Office of the Swedish Naval Command on April 29, 1940, stating that the British Foreign Office had recommended that the destroyers be ordered to remain in Lisbon until further notice and that, under the present circumstances, it must be strongly advised against repatriating them. However, this message never reached the head of the Swedish naval force in Lisbon, Commander Hagman. On May 10, Germany attacked the Netherlands, Belgium, and France on the Western Front, closing the destroyers’ route through the English Channel. Meanwhile, efforts were being made in Stockholm to obtain oil for the destroyers from elsewhere and the Chief of Navy informed the destroyers on 15 May that a Swedish tanker, M/T Castor, would arrive in Lisbon within four to five days. The M/T Castor was a Swedish tanker from Trelleborg, en route from Mexico to Sweden with oil, which had now been requisitioned by the Swedish government and was ordered to join the destroyer force. On 21 May, the Castor arrived in Lisbon with 14,495 tons of oil, half of which was diesel oil. Furthermore, Castor had more than 1,000 tons of fresh water in its tanks, which would make the destroyers self-sufficient. The tanker now formally became the warship HM Transportfartyg Castor (Auxiliary vessel) and its commander John Juhlin became a lieutenant in the naval reserve. The image shows the motor tanker M/T Castor. Length 147 m, beam 18.8 m, year of construction 1928, deadweight tons: 13,440. Shipping company: Trelleborgs Ångfartygs Nya AB. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo68663A. The following year, on March 31, 1941, M/T Castor was torpedoed by the German submarine U-46 between Newfoundland and Ireland in the North Atlantic. 21 of Castor's crew of 36 men were rescued. On May 26, the squadron left Lisbon and on May 27 arrived in Vigo, Spain, where Castor and Patricia were fully bunkered. The Italian engineers of the destroyers went ashore recalled by their government. Although the Chief of Navy had previously given instructions for Castor to accompany the destroyer force, the ship's low speed of around 8 knots meant that oil and water would probably not be sufficient on the destroyers for the move to Cobh (Queenstown) in Ireland, according to Commander Hagman's assessment. Hagman therefore detached Castor and let the destroyers and Patricia leave Vigo at their most economical speed, 12 knots, in a wide arc into the Atlantic towards Cobh on May 29. The map shows the route the Swedish ships took from northern Italy to Gothenburg in Sweden. Red: The route of the destroyers from La Spezia to Torshamn in the Faroe Islands and from Kirkwall to Gothenburg under Swedish command. Orange: Under British command from Torshamn to Kirkwall. Green: The tanker Castor's journey as a single ship, including via Casablanca. Image: Wikipedia. In late May and early June 1940, the evacuation of some 300,000 English and French soldiers from the beaches of French Dunkirk across the English Channel took place. The British Admiralty therefore designated a new route for the Swedish naval force, which entered the Atlantic Ocean west of Ireland to continue to the Faroe Islands, where M/T Castor would also join. After Denmark's surrender on 9 April 1940, the Danish Faroe Islands were effectively occupied by the British military to forestall a German invasion (Operation Valentine). The British did not formally recognize this, as it would have meant responsibility for the governance and supply of the Faroe Islands. The destroyer force anchored in Cobh, Ireland, on June 2. However, no oil was available here either. But by bunkering the destroyers from Patricia, they were able to replenish enough oil to reach the Faroe Islands. In addition, 117 civilian Swedish passengers, including 40 women and 8 children, were to be taken on board the Patricia for the onward journey to Sweden. Many of these were former employees of British companies, who were now out of work after the companies had switched to war production. On June 15, Patricia took on board its civilian passengers, and on the night of June 16 it left Cobh for the Faroe Islands. On June 22, France surrendered, leaving Britain alone against the German troops. The German Navy had lost 10 of its most modern destroyers in the Battle of Narvik on April 10 and 13, 1940. The British were therefore keen that Germany should not have quick access to new destroyers. At the British War Cabinet meeting in London on June 18, the Minister for the Dominions announced that four Swedish destroyers had left Ireland for the Faroe Islands. He suggested that the War Cabinet consider the possibility of capturing the Swedish destroyers on their arrival in the Faroe Islands. The Foreign Minister declared that he would examine the matter further. At the meeting of the War Cabinet on June 19, the proposal from the previous day to hijack the destroyers was discussed. The Minister for the Dominions considered that this was a case where the Right of Angary could be used. This is a right established in international law for a belligerent nation to seize the property of a neutral state, within the territory of the belligerent nation or areas occupied by it. The War Cabinet instructed the Admiralty to order the capture of the destroyers as soon as possible. During the early morning of June 19, the Patricia and the destroyers approached the Faroe Islands. The Castor was expected to arrive in the Faroe Islands the following day. Due to dense fog, the Swedish squadron waited to dock until the fog lifted. After the fog lifted in the morning, Patricia and the destroyers continued towards the Faroe Islands. A pilot was taken on board to guide the ships to the long, narrow Skaalefjord near Torshamn. Patricia was assigned an anchorage at the far end of the fjord, and the destroyers had to anchor in tactical numerical order - in line. Then several armed British trawlers (so-called naval drifters) anchored on either side of the destroyers. Commander Hagman now gave orders to turn off the steam boilers on the destroyers to save oil (The Castor had not yet reached the Faroe Islands). This meant that it would take about four hours to get the destroyers ready for departure again.
Three British Tribal-class destroyers, HMS Maori, HMS Tartar, and HMS Mashona left the British naval base Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands on June 19 at 19.30, heading for the Faroe Islands, intending to seize the Swedish destroyers. Early in the morning of June 20, the Castor arrived in the Faroe Islands where she was ordered to anchor southeast of Torshamn about ten nautical miles or one and a half hours passage from the destroyers in Skaalefjorden. Later in the morning the British destroyers also arrived in the Faroe Islands. The image shows the British Tribal-class destroyer HMS Maori, one of the destroyers in Skaalefjord in the Faroe Islands during the Psilander affair in 1940. She was launched in 1937 and was 115 m long and the beam was 11 m. Speed: 36 knots. Main armament: four twin 12 cm guns. Image: Wikipedia. The Naval Officer in Charge of Faroe Islands (NOIC) was Navy Captain Crowther. The Chief of the Royal Navy squadron, Navy Captain C. Caslon, together with a lieutenant commander as secretary and a civilian, arrived in a motorboat at the Swedish command ship HMS Puke at 07:15 on June 20. Caslon made an oral presentation with a non-negotiable but time-bound ultimatum, stating that he had received orders directly from the British government to seize the Swedish destroyers. The reason given was that the British assumed that the destroyers would end up in German hands as the ships approached Sweden. According to British requirements, the destroyers were to be evacuated within two and a half hours, and the crews were to be transferred to England for further transportation to Sweden. HMS Patricia and Castor could continue their journey. Resistance from the Swedish destroyers or attempts to sink the ships would be met with "appropriate countermeasures". All radio transmitters on the Swedish ships were to be sealed immediately, and attempts to establish communication with Sweden were to be prevented by force. Commander Hagman's spontaneous answer was that he rejected the demands and that he would fight or sink the ships. Captain Caslon regretted this and pointed out that it was only a question of taking the ships into custody, they would remain Swedish property. Hagman then demanded to be put in touch with the Swedish government, but Caslon explained that the use of radio would be prevented by force. Hagman requested to receive the British government's demands and motives in written form, after which he would reply in writing. Caslon promised to comply and then left HMS Puke. At 08:06 on June 20, Hagman sent out a message to the Swedish ship commanders: "Prepare to evacuate the destroyers". At 09:00 the British demands were submitted in writing. They also included the "Right of Angary" as an attachment. However, this right has no application to warships. According to the written demands, any damage to the seized destroyers would be compensated. The sketch shows the situation at Skaalefjord in the Faroe Islands on June 20, 1940, during the so- called Psilander affair. We see the Swedish ships inside the fjord anchored in line with English drifters on the sides and the English destroyers circling outside at the mouth of the fjord. Image: Wikipedia. After reviewing the written requirements, Commander Hagman and the ship commanders held consultations on board HMS Puke. The balance of power was strongly in the British favor. The British destroyers were underway and prepared for action (general quarters) and all hands were at their action stations. Each of the Tribal destroyers had four twin 12 cm guns, four anti-aircraft automatic guns, and four torpedo tubes. In addition, there were armed English "drifters" between the Swedish destroyers, as well as armed posts ashore. The Swedish destroyers had very little oil left and an unfavorable position for battle in the long narrow fjord as they were anchored in line. After a few hours of building up steam pressure, only HMS Remus' two aft 10 cm guns had a clear field of fire against the British destroyers. If the Swedish destroyers had broken out, they would soon run out of fuel and become easy targets for the British Home Fleet. Moreover, Patricia was in the line of fire, loaded with ammunition and with 117 civilians on board. To increase the pressure on the Swedes, at 09:20, several of the British Tribal-class destroyers entered the Skaalefjord, turned around, and headed out again. Commander Hagman wrote in his reply to the British that under the circumstances he had no choice but to agree to the demands. But he also protested seriously against the whole procedure, especially the fact that he was denied the possibility of communication with his own government. Before submitting the letter, a request had been made for the crews to be transferred to HMS Patricia and Castor instead of being taken to England, as per the original ultimatum. The request was accepted by the British. After the ship commanders’ meeting, the commanders returned to their ships and informed the crews. Only personal belongings could be packed in the sea bags according to British directives. Some belongings were thrown overboard as the crews did not want to hand them over to the British. Despite orders from Hagman not to worsen the situation by sabotage or resistance, the destroyers were still Swedish property, this occurred anyhow on the initiative of individual crew members. At 11:00, three Royal Navy drifters arrived to transfer the crews from the Puke, Psilander, and Romulus to Patricia and from Remus to Castor. After the crews left the Swedish destroyers, British crews boarded the destroyers, with the first action being to take down the Swedish flags and insignia. The image shows the crew of the Swedish destroyer HMS Remus embarking on the British drifter Scottish for further transportation to the Swedish tanker M/T Castor. Image: Wikipedia. At 09:00 on June 21, the NOIC, Captain Crowther, came to the Patricia and announced that the ship could depart. At 14:00, the anchor was weighed and the ship went out through Skaalefjorden towards the Norwegian coast. Out in international waters, radio transmitters could again be used to contact the Swedish authorities. At 22:45 on June 21, the Swedish Chief of Navy Vice-Admiral Tamm replied to Commander Hagman: "Return to Torshamn. Energetically recall the destroyers. The British government has not communicated anything to the Swedish government." Patricia and Castor sailed on a counter course back to the Faroe Islands. Meanwhile, a diplomatic telegram exchange between Stockholm and London began. In Stockholm, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Erik Boheman, who was at dinner with Victor Mallet, the British Ambassador to Sweden, was very upset and demanded that Mallet telegraph to London that the destroyers should be released immediately. The two Swedish ships returned to Torshamn, where they anchored on the outer roadstead at 08:00 on June 22. The Swedish vice- consul in the Faroe Islands reported that the destroyers had been moved to a place unknown to him, which he had protested to the British consul. Diplomatic contacts continued. For example, in London, the Swedish Ambassador to the UK, Björn Prytz, spoke with the British Foreign Secretary Halifax. Prytz also reported that the route of the destroyers had been fully discussed with the British legation in Stockholm, which Halifax claimed not to know. It turned out that Sweden's formal request for passage had been left with the Admiralty in London without being forwarded. Therefore, the British government was surprised by the movement of the Swedish naval force, which was perceived to be unannounced and not following normal routine and proper channels. Over the next few days, the British realized that the destroyers were relatively small and that they could be returned to the Swedes. On the evening of June 25, NOIC announced that the Swedish destroyers would be returned to their crews. Two of the destroyers were in Kirkwall, and two were on their way there. So that M/T Castor would not have to travel through the dangerous waters around the Orkney Islands, the Remus crew was also transferred to Patricia. On the morning of July 1, the Swedish ship commanders and some crew members were able to inspect the destroyers. During the earlier voyage between the Faroe Islands and Kirkwall with an English crew, the destroyers had suffered a lot of damage, partly because the English crew was unfamiliar with the destroyers' machinery and partly because of previous Swedish sabotage. On both HMS Psilander and Romulus, the British had dry-boiled a boiler, which had been completely destroyed. On HMS Romulus, oil had also been pumped by mistake into corridors and wardrooms. HMS Puke was damaged after a collision during a tow and had lost an anchor. The ships had also been largely looted of loose equipment and tools. All losses, as well as wage costs for Patricia and Castor's crews, etc., were later valued at 879,644 SEK, which was paid by the British. The destroyers were returned on 2 July to their Swedish crews, who quickly carried out cleaning and temporary repairs to the ships. On 5 July at 02:00, Patricia and the destroyers left Kirkwall to return to the Faroe Islands. The M/T Castor was met at a point 40 nautical miles east of the islands on the evening of July 5, and the force then proceeded in column towards the Norwegian coast, at 8 knots and in the order of HMS Puke, Psilander, Castor, Patricia, Romulus and Remus. Germany guaranteed Swedish neutrality and let the ships go to Sweden. Along the Norwegian coast, at about 6 in the morning on 8 July, they were subjected to a bombing raid by a British Coastal Command aircraft, which dropped four bombs on the Castor. The bombs were detonated at a distance of 50 - 75 m from the tanker, which after careful checking reported that no leak could be detected. The attack was a mistake and the British have since apologized. On the morning of July 10, the Swedish naval force passed into Swedish territorial waters. At 17:00 the destroyers were moored at the naval base Nya Varvet in Gothenburg where they were received by the Chief of Navy, Vice-Admiral Fabian Tamm. The image shows the destroyers after they arrive in Gothenburg. From left: HMS Remus, Romulus, Psilander, and Puke (with damaged bow) at Nya Varvet in Gothenburg after their return on July 10, 1940. The Swedish three-tailed naval ensign is in the foreground. Image: Maritime Museum, ID: Fo54812A. Aftermath: After arriving in Gothenburg, at the initiative of the Chief of Navy, a preliminary hearing was held with Commander Hagman at the field court martial of the West Coast Naval District. When asked by the interrogator whether Hagman felt that he had upheld "the reputation of the Swedish Navy and the honor of the Swedish flag", he replied that he felt he had acted correctly in the situation at hand, regardless of regulations and instructions. After the field court martial met again on August 6, 1940, it was concluded that Hagman's actions would not lead to responsibility or liability and that the case would not proceed to trial, i.e. Hagman was found neither guilty nor innocent. At the meeting, the prosecutor asked whether it might have been appropriate to let the British fire a shot or two, and only then decide whether the destroyers should be handed over. Commander Hagman replied that he would inevitably have had to respond to the fire, thereby jeopardizing compensation claims. According to Hagman, it was extremely important that not a single shot was fired. Although Swedish Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson personally informed Hagman that he had his support for his actions, Hagman was never formally vindicated, as he was not publicly exonerated in court. He was regarded by many as a traitor who surrendered his ships without a fight. On August 22, 1940, the day after the Field Court Martial concluded its preliminary investigation, the Chief of the Coastal Fleet, Rear Admiral Gösta Ehrensvärd, issued a secret order: 'I forbid any officer under my command to surrender his ships to a foreign power, for whatever reason. Fidelity to the flag is most important of all.". In the press debate that broke out in connection with the court martial verdict, most newspapers supported Hagman's actions. One comment was that “military service must not make the use of the brain superfluous”. On the British side, several representatives have subsequently expressed regret for the action of seizing the destroyers, which was called "a dirty trick" initiated by the Secret Service. A senior civilian official in the Admiralty told then Rear Admiral Stig H:son Ericson that the British action could only be explained by the nervous state the British were in, and that the Admiralty had made a very regrettable blunder. Prime Minister Churchill also later acknowledged to Swedish Ambassador Prytz in London that Hagman had handled "the difficult and embarrassing affair" admirably, and that "he saved both countries much trouble". In 1990, In the preface to the commemorative publication for the 50th anniversary of the Italian expedition, the then Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Bengt Schuback, praised Commander Hagman's actions and gave him a posthumous redress. Naval officer Torsten Hagman (1893-1968) ended his active career in 1953, then head of the Stockholm Naval Station with the rank of Navy Captain (the rank is equal to the army rank of Colonel). The image to the right shows Commander Torsten Hagman. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo145674.
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Military Hans Högman
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Ships of the Swedish Navy - 4

To the List of Swedish Surface Combatants

Related Links

Navy Ships - Home Swedish surface combatants part-1 Swedish surface combatants part-2 Swedish surface combatants part-3 Swedish surface combatants part-4 Swedish surface combatants part-5 Swedish surface combatants part-6 Swedish surface combatants part-7 The Psilander Affair in 1940 The Horsfjärden Disaster in 1941 Swedish Submarines Signals Intelligence Ships of Sweden Navy Arms Designations Swedish Combat Boats History of the Swedish Navy History of the Swedish Coast Artillery Uniforms of the Swedish Navy Uniforms of the Swedish Coast Artillery Sweden’s Military Preparedness 1939 - 1945 Military Images, Sweden, 1939 - 1945 Swedish Signals Intelligence Aircraft Swedish Military Aircraft Tanks of Sweden

Source References

1. Örlogsfartyg, Svenska maskindrivna fartyg under tretungad flagg. G von Hofsten, J Waernberg. 2004. 2. Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces) 3. Wikipedia 4. Digitaltmuseum 5. Sjöhistoriska museet = The National Maritime Museum, Stockholm 6. Marinmuseum = The Naval Museum, Karlskrona Top of page

Swedish Warships - Surface

Combatants - 3

List of various types of Swedish Motorized

Surface Combatants

Battleship Coastal defense ship Cruiser, part-1, part-2 Destroyer, part-1, part-2, part-3 Frigate Corvette Motor torpedo boat Torpedo boat / Missile boat Patrol boat Picket boat Surveillance boat Minelayer / Minehunter / Minesweeper

Definitions

In the description of the ships, there are some concepts and terms that may be worth describing. Pennant No., the recognition number that Swedish warships normally, in peacetime, have painted on the side of certain types of ships. For submarines, it is an abbreviation of the submarine's name. [Hull No. in the US]. Delivered refers to the time when the ship was formally delivered to the Navy from the shipyard. Launched, refers to the time when the ship was christened and launched. Decommissioned normally refers to the time when the ship is permanently removed from the Navy organization. Displacement, expressed in tons, is given with two values, standard displacement, and displacement when the ship is fully equipped. If only one value is given, it refers to standard displacement. For submarines, displacement is given in surface mode and submerged mode. Speed is given in knots and refers to the contracted speed. For submarines, the speed is given in surface mode and submerged mode. Dimensions, given in meters for length, beam, and draft. The length may be given in two dimensions: the waterline and the maximum overall length. If only one length is given, the maximum length is referred to. Beam means the maximum width. Complement, the crew size. It normally refers to the peacetime crew size. Submarine diving depths indicate the maximum permitted diving depth in peacetime. ihp = Indicated horsepower (the theoretical power of a reciprocating engine if it is completely frictionless) The abbreviation "HMS" means “Hans Majestäts Skepp / Hennes Majestäts Skepp” and is used in the Swedish Navy as a prefix before the ship's name, such as HMS Visby. However, HMS was not used by the Swedish Navy until after 1950. For older ships, i.e. built before 1950, "HM" (His Majesty's) was used followed by the ship type and name, e.g. HM Kryssare Tre Kronor. HSwMS is a sometimes used designation for military ships from Sweden when traveling outside Sweden's territorial waters, instead of HMS. In the UK, the same abbreviation stands for Her Majesty's Ship or His Majesty's Ship and has been used in the Royal Navy since the 1660s. The USA uses the designation USS, United States Ship. During WW II, from June 23, 1940, Swedish warships were marked with white transverse lines on their decks and sides so that they could be clearly identified as neutral ships and thus avoid accidental fire from the belligerents.

Destroyer (2)

Destroyers are a type of warship developed in the early 20th century. A destroyer is fast, relatively large, and very heavily armed. Originally, the role of the destroyer was to protect battleships from torpedo boats. Soon enough, destroyers were also equipped with torpedoes. On modern destroyers, torpedoes have been supplemented or replaced by missiles. During and before World War II, destroyers were mainly used for patrol, escort, and anti-submarine duties. They were therefore often armed with anti- submarine equipment such as sonar and depth charges. Start-page: Destroyer

Swedish Destroyers

The Psilander class was a destroyer class consisting of two destroyers, HMS Psilander (18) and HMS Puke (19). The ships were originally Sella class destroyers of the Italian Navy but were purchased by Sweden in 1940. In Italy, they carried the names Giovanni Nicotera and Bettino Ricasoli respectively. At the same time, 2 Italian Romulus class destroyers and four motor torpedo boats were also purchased. On January 21, 1940, all contracts were completed for the purchase of four destroyers, four motor torpedo boats, and other war materials. The four motor torpedo boats, which were of the MAS class that in Sweden was designated T11 - T14, were transported home on M/S Boreland from La Spezia to Gothenburg in March 1940. On April 14, 1940, with Swedish crews, all four destroyers departed together from La Spezia in Italy and the ships arrived in Gothenburg on July 10. The Swedish convoy also included the passenger ship Patricia and the tanker M/T Castor. Because of the war, the Swedish ships went west of Ireland. During a stop in the Faroe Islands, an event occurred that became known as the Psilander Affair. On the way home from Italy, Germany had attacked France and Norway. On June 20, 1940, the four Swedish destroyers in the Faroe Islands were seized by the British Navy on the grounds that they wanted to prevent the Swedish destroyers from falling into the hands of the German Navy on their onward journey to Sweden. After just over a week of intense diplomatic activity between Sweden and the UK, Sweden recovered the seized destroyers and the ships were able to proceed to Gothenburg. After arriving in Sweden, the destroyers were assigned to the Gothenburg squadron. However, the Psilander and Puke proved to be too softly built and rolled heavily in rough seas. It was therefore necessary to build reinforcements into the ships and fit sling keels to the hulls. Psilander (Giovanni Nicotera) was launched in 1926 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1947. Pennant no. 18. Puke (Bettino Ricasoli) was launched in 1926 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1947. Pennant no. 19. The vessels were 85.3 m long and the beam was 8.6 m. The displacement was 970/1,480 tons. Speed: 35 knots. Complement: 133 men. The ships' main armament consisted of four 12 cm m/40 guns in twin turrets. The anti-aircraft defense consisted of two 40 mm anti-aircraft automatic guns m/17 and two 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine guns m/31. There were also four 45.7 cm torpedo tubes m/30, and 30 naval mines. The machinery consisted of 3 steam boilers supplying steam to two steam turbines, each driving a propeller. The machinery developed 36,000 hp which gave a maximum speed of 35 knots. The image shows the destroyer HMS Psilander J18, launched in 1926 in Italy and acquired by Sweden in 1940. Length 85.3 m, beam 8.6 m. Pennant no. 18. Photo in 1940. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo82094A. In 1941-1942 the ships' armament was modified. The m/17 anti-aircraft guns were replaced by two 40 mm anti-aircraft automatic guns m/36 and two twin 8 mm anti-aircraft machine guns m/36. Furthermore, the 45 cm torpedoes were replaced by 53 cm torpedoes, and depth charge throwers and depth charge racks were installed. After a very short service, both ships were placed in material readiness between 1943 and 1944, and in 1947 they were decommissioned. The Romulus class was a destroyer class known in Sweden as coastal destroyers. They consisted of two smaller destroyers, HMS Romulus (27) and HMS Remus (28). The ships were originally Spica 3 class destroyers in the Italian Navy but were purchased by Sweden in 1940. In Italy they carried the names Spica and Astore respectively. At the same time, 2 Italian Psilander-class destroyers and four motor torpedo boats were also purchased. On January 21, 1940, all contracts were completed for the purchase of four destroyers, four motor torpedo boats and other war materials. The four motor torpedo boats, which were of the MAS class that in Sweden was designated T11 - T14, were transported home on M/S Boreland from La Spezia to Gothenburg in March 1940. On April 14, 1940, with Swedish crews, the four destroyers departed together from La Spezia in Italy and, after a dramatic journey to say the least, arrived in Gothenburg on July 10. Due to the war, the Swedish ships went west of Ireland. The Swedish convoy also included the passenger ship Patricia and the tanker M/T Castor. During a stop in the Faroe Islands, an event occurred that became known as the Psilander Affair. On the way home from Italy, Germany had attacked France and Norway. On June 20, 1940, the four Swedish destroyers in the Faroe Islands were seized by the British Navy on the grounds that they wanted to prevent the Swedish destroyers from falling into the hands of the German Navy on their onward journey to Sweden. After just over a week of intense diplomatic activity between Sweden and the UK, Sweden recovered the seized destroyers and the ships were able to proceed to Gothenburg. After arriving in Sweden, the ships of the class were assigned to the Gothenburg Squadron. The ships were intended for escort and surveillance tasks and not offensive operations, which explains the somewhat lighter artillery and torpedo armament. The image shows the destroyer HMS Romulus J27, launched in 1934 in Italy and acquired by Sweden in 1940. Length 81.4 m, beam 8.2 m. Pennant no. 27. Photo in 1940. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo200229. Romulus (Spica) was launched in 1934 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1958. Pennant no. 27. Remus (Astore) was launched in 1934 in Italy and joined the Swedish Navy in 1940. She was decommissioned in 1958. Pennant no. 28. The vessels were 81.4 m long and the beam was 8.2 m. The displacement was 630/900 tons. Speed: 34 knots. Complement: 99 men. The ships' main armament consisted of three 10 cm m/40 guns. The anti-aircraft defense consisted of three 20 mm anti-aircraft automatic guns m/38 and two 13.2 mm anti-aircraft machine guns m/31. There were also four 45.7 cm torpedo tubes, two depth charge racks m/33 and two depth charge throwers m/33, 28 mines. The image shows a 20 mm anti-aircraft automatic gun m/38 aboard the destroyer Romulus J27, launched in 1934 and acquired by Sweden in 1940. Length 81.4 m, beam 8.2 m. Pennant no. 27. Photo in 1943. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo199543. The machinery consisted of 2 steam boilers supplying steam to two steam turbines, each driving a propeller. The machinery developed 19,000 hp which gave a maximum speed of 34 knots. The destroyers were basically good ships that participated extensively in the neutrality watch of the coastal fleet. They were reclassified as frigates in 1953, but were never rebuilt. The Psilander Affair in 1940 The Psilander affair was an incident that occurred in the Faroe Islands on June 20, 1940, when the four Italian-purchased Swedish destroyers HMS Psilander, Puke, Romulus, and Remus were seized by the British Navy. According to the British, the seizure was made to prevent the German Navy from seizing the destroyers and taking them into German service on the Swedish destroyers' onward journey to Gothenburg across the North Sea. When World War II broke out, Sweden was in great need of rapidly reinforcing its armed forces with new equipment. The navy needed to be expanded with, among other things, destroyers and motor torpedo boats. Manufacturing destroyers in Sweden would take time. It was quicker, if possible, to buy destroyers from other countries. Italy was willing to sell 4 destroyers and 4 motor torpedo boats as a package (all or nothing). The destroyers were two of the Sella class and two of the Spica-3 class. The Sella destroyers were older, launched in 1926, while the Spica-3 destroyers were more modern, launched in 1934. On January 21, 1940, all contracts were completed for the purchase of four destroyers, four motor torpedo boats, and other war materials. The four motor torpedo boats were of MAS class, which in Sweden was designated T11 - T14, and were transported home on M/S Boreland from La Spezia, Italy, to Gothenburg, Sweden, in March 1940. Commander 2nd Class Torsten Hagman was appointed Head of the detachment consisting of the 4 destroyers to sail from Italy to Sweden. The Swedish Lloyd passenger ship Patricia was chartered and converted into an 'auxiliary cruiser' in the fleet and equipped with a 12 cm gun and two 8 mm machine guns. The four destroyer crews that were to sail the purchased destroyers home consisted of 450 Swedish seamen and naval officers. On March 4, 1940, they departed on Patricia from Gothenburg together with Patricia's own crew of 36 men towards La Spezia in northern Italy. Patricia arrived in La Spezia on 19 March. The Patricia was built in 1926 and was 106 m long and the beam was 15 m. After the Italian adventure, she was converted to a submarine depot ship in the Swedish Navy. The image shows HMS Patricia (formerly S/S Patricia, Svenska Lloyd) with Swedish neutrality stripes. Built 1926 in England, length 106 m, beam 15 m, speed 15 knots. Displacement 4,950 tons. Photo in 1943. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo64665A. On March 27, the Italian flags were lowered on the destroyers Bettino Ricasoli, Giovanni Nicotera, Spica, and Astore, and Swedish naval flags were raised on the Puke, Psilander, Romulus, and Remus, which became the Swedish names of the destroyers. Equipment work, training of the Swedish crews, and sea trials were completed on April 13. On April 14, 1940, all four destroyers departed together from La Spezia in northern Italy and the ships arrived in Gothenburg on July 10. Commander Hagman was the Head of the Swedish naval force and also the Ship Commander of HMS Puke. For the first part of the voyage, two Italian naval engineers and seven engineer petty officers were on board the destroyers to help with any engine problems. Also on board the auxiliary cruiser Patricia were 30 purchased torpedoes, ammunition, and a large quantity of spare parts for the destroyers. The motor torpedo boats were already sent home. On April 20, the British naval attaché in Rome announced that “The Admiralty” would guarantee free passage for the Swedish squadron, as had been done with Boreland and Patricia. The British suggested that the Swedes should travel via the English Channel. However, the Swedish Naval Command informed the German legation in Stockholm that the destroyer force planned to travel via Ireland and the Faroe Islands to the Norwegian coast and then close to the coast to Gothenburg, Sweden. At noon on the same day, i.e. April 20, HMS Puke encountered engine problems. HMS Psilander, who was sailing behind HMS Puke, did not have time to turn aside, but at moderate speed hit Puke's stern with her stem. As the watertight bulkheads held, both destroyers could continue after a while and the fleet headed for Cartagena in Spain for repairs, where they arrived the following day and were able to dock at a Spanish naval shipyard. Psilander was docked for repairs, while Puke was repaired without docking. After replenishing supplies, the destroyers departed on April 26 for Lisbon, where they arrived on April 28. The Patricia had been sent in advance to Lisbon to bunker the ordered oil. However, the stay in Lisbon was to be month- long as there was no oil available, only fresh water. The Puke's damages from the collision earlier were finally repaired in the dock. The image shows the destroyer HMS Romulus behind HMS Psilander underway in the Mediterranean in 1940. Image: Wikipedia. The legation of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in London sent a telegram to the Office of the Swedish Naval Command on April 29, 1940, stating that the British Foreign Office had recommended that the destroyers be ordered to remain in Lisbon until further notice and that, under the present circumstances, it must be strongly advised against repatriating them. However, this message never reached the head of the Swedish naval force in Lisbon, Commander Hagman. On May 10, Germany attacked the Netherlands, Belgium, and France on the Western Front, closing the destroyers’ route through the English Channel. Meanwhile, efforts were being made in Stockholm to obtain oil for the destroyers from elsewhere and the Chief of Navy informed the destroyers on 15 May that a Swedish tanker, M/T Castor, would arrive in Lisbon within four to five days. The M/T Castor was a Swedish tanker from Trelleborg, en route from Mexico to Sweden with oil, which had now been requisitioned by the Swedish government and was ordered to join the destroyer force. On 21 May, the Castor arrived in Lisbon with 14,495 tons of oil, half of which was diesel oil. Furthermore, Castor had more than 1,000 tons of fresh water in its tanks, which would make the destroyers self-sufficient. The tanker now formally became the warship HM Transportfartyg Castor (Auxiliary vessel) and its commander John Juhlin became a lieutenant in the naval reserve. The image shows the motor tanker M/T Castor. Length 147 m, beam 18.8 m, year of construction 1928, deadweight tons: 13,440. Shipping company: Trelleborgs Ångfartygs Nya AB. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo68663A. The following year, on March 31, 1941, M/T Castor was torpedoed by the German submarine U-46 between Newfoundland and Ireland in the North Atlantic. 21 of Castor's crew of 36 men were rescued. On May 26, the squadron left Lisbon and on May 27 arrived in Vigo, Spain, where Castor and Patricia were fully bunkered. The Italian engineers of the destroyers went ashore recalled by their government. Although the Chief of Navy had previously given instructions for Castor to accompany the destroyer force, the ship's low speed of around 8 knots meant that oil and water would probably not be sufficient on the destroyers for the move to Cobh (Queenstown) in Ireland, according to Commander Hagman's assessment. Hagman therefore detached Castor and let the destroyers and Patricia leave Vigo at their most economical speed, 12 knots, in a wide arc into the Atlantic towards Cobh on May 29. The map shows the route the Swedish ships took from northern Italy to Gothenburg in Sweden. Red: The route of the destroyers from La Spezia to Torshamn in the Faroe Islands and from Kirkwall to Gothenburg under Swedish command. Orange: Under British command from Torshamn to Kirkwall. Green: The tanker Castor's journey as a single ship, including via Casablanca. Image: Wikipedia. In late May and early June 1940, the evacuation of some 300,000 English and French soldiers from the beaches of French Dunkirk across the English Channel took place. The British Admiralty therefore designated a new route for the Swedish naval force, which entered the Atlantic Ocean west of Ireland to continue to the Faroe Islands, where M/T Castor would also join. After Denmark's surrender on 9 April 1940, the Danish Faroe Islands were effectively occupied by the British military to forestall a German invasion (Operation Valentine). The British did not formally recognize this, as it would have meant responsibility for the governance and supply of the Faroe Islands. The destroyer force anchored in Cobh, Ireland, on June 2. However, no oil was available here either. But by bunkering the destroyers from Patricia, they were able to replenish enough oil to reach the Faroe Islands. In addition, 117 civilian Swedish passengers, including 40 women and 8 children, were to be taken on board the Patricia for the onward journey to Sweden. Many of these were former employees of British companies, who were now out of work after the companies had switched to war production. On June 15, Patricia took on board its civilian passengers, and on the night of June 16 it left Cobh for the Faroe Islands. On June 22, France surrendered, leaving Britain alone against the German troops. The German Navy had lost 10 of its most modern destroyers in the Battle of Narvik on April 10 and 13, 1940. The British were therefore keen that Germany should not have quick access to new destroyers. At the British War Cabinet meeting in London on June 18, the Minister for the Dominions announced that four Swedish destroyers had left Ireland for the Faroe Islands. He suggested that the War Cabinet consider the possibility of capturing the Swedish destroyers on their arrival in the Faroe Islands. The Foreign Minister declared that he would examine the matter further. At the meeting of the War Cabinet on June 19, the proposal from the previous day to hijack the destroyers was discussed. The Minister for the Dominions considered that this was a case where the Right of Angary could be used. This is a right established in international law for a belligerent nation to seize the property of a neutral state, within the territory of the belligerent nation or areas occupied by it. The War Cabinet instructed the Admiralty to order the capture of the destroyers as soon as possible. During the early morning of June 19, the Patricia and the destroyers approached the Faroe Islands. The Castor was expected to arrive in the Faroe Islands the following day. Due to dense fog, the Swedish squadron waited to dock until the fog lifted. After the fog lifted in the morning, Patricia and the destroyers continued towards the Faroe Islands. A pilot was taken on board to guide the ships to the long, narrow Skaalefjord near Torshamn. Patricia was assigned an anchorage at the far end of the fjord, and the destroyers had to anchor in tactical numerical order - in line. Then several armed British trawlers (so-called naval drifters) anchored on either side of the destroyers. Commander Hagman now gave orders to turn off the steam boilers on the destroyers to save oil (The Castor had not yet reached the Faroe Islands). This meant that it would take about four hours to get the destroyers ready for departure again.
Three British Tribal-class destroyers, HMS Maori, HMS Tartar, and HMS Mashona left the British naval base Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands on June 19 at 19.30, heading for the Faroe Islands, intending to seize the Swedish destroyers. Early in the morning of June 20, the Castor arrived in the Faroe Islands where she was ordered to anchor southeast of Torshamn about ten nautical miles or one and a half hours passage from the destroyers in Skaalefjorden. Later in the morning the British destroyers also arrived in the Faroe Islands. The image shows the British Tribal-class destroyer HMS Maori, one of the destroyers in Skaalefjord in the Faroe Islands during the Psilander affair in 1940. She was launched in 1937 and was 115 m long and the beam was 11 m. Speed: 36 knots. Main armament: four twin 12 cm guns. Image: Wikipedia. The Naval Officer in Charge of Faroe Islands (NOIC) was Navy Captain Crowther. The Chief of the Royal Navy squadron, Navy Captain C. Caslon, together with a lieutenant commander as secretary and a civilian, arrived in a motorboat at the Swedish command ship HMS Puke at 07:15 on June 20. Caslon made an oral presentation with a non- negotiable but time-bound ultimatum, stating that he had received orders directly from the British government to seize the Swedish destroyers. The reason given was that the British assumed that the destroyers would end up in German hands as the ships approached Sweden. According to British requirements, the destroyers were to be evacuated within two and a half hours, and the crews were to be transferred to England for further transportation to Sweden. HMS Patricia and Castor could continue their journey. Resistance from the Swedish destroyers or attempts to sink the ships would be met with "appropriate countermeasures". All radio transmitters on the Swedish ships were to be sealed immediately, and attempts to establish communication with Sweden were to be prevented by force. Commander Hagman's spontaneous answer was that he rejected the demands and that he would fight or sink the ships. Captain Caslon regretted this and pointed out that it was only a question of taking the ships into custody, they would remain Swedish property. Hagman then demanded to be put in touch with the Swedish government, but Caslon explained that the use of radio would be prevented by force. Hagman requested to receive the British government's demands and motives in written form, after which he would reply in writing. Caslon promised to comply and then left HMS Puke. At 08:06 on June 20, Hagman sent out a message to the Swedish ship commanders: "Prepare to evacuate the destroyers". At 09:00 the British demands were submitted in writing. They also included the "Right of Angary" as an attachment. However, this right has no application to warships. According to the written demands, any damage to the seized destroyers would be compensated. The sketch shows the situation at Skaalefjord in the Faroe Islands on June 20, 1940, during the so-called Psilander affair. We see the Swedish ships inside the fjord anchored in line with English drifters on the sides and the English destroyers circling outside at the mouth of the fjord. Image: Wikipedia. After reviewing the written requirements, Commander Hagman and the ship commanders held consultations on board HMS Puke. The balance of power was strongly in the British favor. The British destroyers were underway and prepared for action (general quarters) and all hands were at their action stations. Each of the Tribal destroyers had four twin 12 cm guns, four anti- aircraft automatic guns, and four torpedo tubes. In addition, there were armed English "drifters" between the Swedish destroyers, as well as armed posts ashore. The Swedish destroyers had very little oil left and an unfavorable position for battle in the long narrow fjord as they were anchored in line. After a few hours of building up steam pressure, only HMS Remus' two aft 10 cm guns had a clear field of fire against the British destroyers. If the Swedish destroyers had broken out, they would soon run out of fuel and become easy targets for the British Home Fleet. Moreover, Patricia was in the line of fire, loaded with ammunition and with 117 civilians on board. To increase the pressure on the Swedes, at 09:20, several of the British Tribal-class destroyers entered the Skaalefjord, turned around, and headed out again. Commander Hagman wrote in his reply to the British that under the circumstances he had no choice but to agree to the demands. But he also protested seriously against the whole procedure, especially the fact that he was denied the possibility of communication with his own government. Before submitting the letter, a request had been made for the crews to be transferred to HMS Patricia and Castor instead of being taken to England, as per the original ultimatum. The request was accepted by the British. After the ship commanders’ meeting, the commanders returned to their ships and informed the crews. Only personal belongings could be packed in the sea bags according to British directives. Some belongings were thrown overboard as the crews did not want to hand them over to the British. Despite orders from Hagman not to worsen the situation by sabotage or resistance, the destroyers were still Swedish property, this occurred anyhow on the initiative of individual crew members. At 11:00, three Royal Navy drifters arrived to transfer the crews from the Puke, Psilander, and Romulus to Patricia and from Remus to Castor. After the crews left the Swedish destroyers, British crews boarded the destroyers, with the first action being to take down the Swedish flags and insignia. The image shows the crew of the Swedish destroyer HMS Remus embarking on the British drifter Scottish for further transportation to the Swedish tanker M/T Castor. Image: Wikipedia. At 09:00 on June 21, the NOIC, Captain Crowther, came to the Patricia and announced that the ship could depart. At 14:00, the anchor was weighed and the ship went out through Skaalefjorden towards the Norwegian coast. Out in international waters, radio transmitters could again be used to contact the Swedish authorities. At 22:45 on June 21, the Swedish Chief of Navy Vice- Admiral Tamm replied to Commander Hagman: "Return to Torshamn. Energetically recall the destroyers. The British government has not communicated anything to the Swedish government." Patricia and Castor sailed on a counter course back to the Faroe Islands. Meanwhile, a diplomatic telegram exchange between Stockholm and London began. In Stockholm, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Erik Boheman, who was at dinner with Victor Mallet, the British Ambassador to Sweden, was very upset and demanded that Mallet telegraph to London that the destroyers should be released immediately. The two Swedish ships returned to Torshamn, where they anchored on the outer roadstead at 08:00 on June 22. The Swedish vice-consul in the Faroe Islands reported that the destroyers had been moved to a place unknown to him, which he had protested to the British consul. Diplomatic contacts continued. For example, in London, the Swedish Ambassador to the UK, Björn Prytz, spoke with the British Foreign Secretary Halifax. Prytz also reported that the route of the destroyers had been fully discussed with the British legation in Stockholm, which Halifax claimed not to know. It turned out that Sweden's formal request for passage had been left with the Admiralty in London without being forwarded. Therefore, the British government was surprised by the movement of the Swedish naval force, which was perceived to be unannounced and not following normal routine and proper channels. Over the next few days, the British realized that the destroyers were relatively small and that they could be returned to the Swedes. On the evening of June 25, NOIC announced that the Swedish destroyers would be returned to their crews. Two of the destroyers were in Kirkwall, and two were on their way there. So that M/T Castor would not have to travel through the dangerous waters around the Orkney Islands, the Remus crew was also transferred to Patricia. On the morning of July 1, the Swedish ship commanders and some crew members were able to inspect the destroyers. During the earlier voyage between the Faroe Islands and Kirkwall with an English crew, the destroyers had suffered a lot of damage, partly because the English crew was unfamiliar with the destroyers' machinery and partly because of previous Swedish sabotage. On both HMS Psilander and Romulus, the British had dry-boiled a boiler, which had been completely destroyed. On HMS Romulus, oil had also been pumped by mistake into corridors and wardrooms. HMS Puke was damaged after a collision during a tow and had lost an anchor. The ships had also been largely looted of loose equipment and tools. All losses, as well as wage costs for Patricia and Castor's crews, etc., were later valued at 879,644 SEK, which was paid by the British. The destroyers were returned on 2 July to their Swedish crews, who quickly carried out cleaning and temporary repairs to the ships. On 5 July at 02:00, Patricia and the destroyers left Kirkwall to return to the Faroe Islands. The M/T Castor was met at a point 40 nautical miles east of the islands on the evening of July 5, and the force then proceeded in column towards the Norwegian coast, at 8 knots and in the order of HMS Puke, Psilander, Castor, Patricia, Romulus and Remus. Germany guaranteed Swedish neutrality and let the ships go to Sweden. Along the Norwegian coast, at about 6 in the morning on 8 July, they were subjected to a bombing raid by a British Coastal Command aircraft, which dropped four bombs on the Castor. The bombs were detonated at a distance of 50 - 75 m from the tanker, which after careful checking reported that no leak could be detected. The attack was a mistake and the British have since apologized. On the morning of July 10, the Swedish naval force passed into Swedish territorial waters. At 17:00 the destroyers were moored at the naval base Nya Varvet in Gothenburg where they were received by the Chief of Navy, Vice-Admiral Fabian Tamm. The image shows the destroyers after they arrive in Gothenburg. From left: HMS Remus, Romulus, Psilander, and Puke (with damaged bow) at Nya Varvet in Gothenburg after their return on July 10, 1940. The Swedish three-tailed naval ensign is in the foreground. Image: Maritime Museum, ID: Fo54812A. Aftermath: After arriving in Gothenburg, at the initiative of the Chief of Navy, a preliminary hearing was held with Commander Hagman at the field court martial of the West Coast Naval District. When asked by the interrogator whether Hagman felt that he had upheld "the reputation of the Swedish Navy and the honor of the Swedish flag", he replied that he felt he had acted correctly in the situation at hand, regardless of regulations and instructions. After the field court martial met again on August 6, 1940, it was concluded that Hagman's actions would not lead to responsibility or liability and that the case would not proceed to trial, i.e. Hagman was found neither guilty nor innocent. At the meeting, the prosecutor asked whether it might have been appropriate to let the British fire a shot or two, and only then decide whether the destroyers should be handed over. Commander Hagman replied that he would inevitably have had to respond to the fire, thereby jeopardizing compensation claims. According to Hagman, it was extremely important that not a single shot was fired. Although Swedish Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson personally informed Hagman that he had his support for his actions, Hagman was never formally vindicated, as he was not publicly exonerated in court. He was regarded by many as a traitor who surrendered his ships without a fight. On August 22, 1940, the day after the Field Court Martial concluded its preliminary investigation, the Chief of the Coastal Fleet, Rear Admiral Gösta Ehrensvärd, issued a secret order: 'I forbid any officer under my command to surrender his ships to a foreign power, for whatever reason. Fidelity to the flag is most important of all.". In the press debate that broke out in connection with the court martial verdict, most newspapers supported Hagman's actions. One comment was that military service must not make the use of the brain superfluous”. On the British side, several representatives have subsequently expressed regret for the action of seizing the destroyers, which was called "a dirty trick" initiated by the Secret Service. A senior civilian official in the Admiralty told then Rear Admiral Stig H:son Ericson that the British action could only be explained by the nervous state the British were in, and that the Admiralty had made a very regrettable blunder. Prime Minister Churchill also later acknowledged to Swedish Ambassador Prytz in London that Hagman had handled "the difficult and embarrassing affair" admirably, and that "he saved both countries much trouble". In 1990, In the preface to the commemorative publication for the 50th anniversary of the Italian expedition, the then Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Bengt Schuback, praised Commander Hagman's actions and gave him a posthumous redress. Naval officer Torsten Hagman (1893-1968) ended his active career in 1953, then head of the Stockholm Naval Station with the rank of Navy Captain (the rank is equal to the army rank of Colonel). The image to the right shows Commander Torsten Hagman. Image: Sjöhistoriska museet, ID: Fo145674.