Gothenburg Squadron ( sv, Göteborgseskadern, GE) was a
naval squadron
A squadron, or naval squadron, is a significant group of warships which is nonetheless considered too small to be designated a fleet. A squadron is typically a part of a fleet. Between different navies there are no clear defining parameters t ...
of the
Swedish Navy
The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps ().
In Swedish, vessels o ...
which has operated in various forms from 1939 to 1951. The unit was based at
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
naval base at Nya Varvet in Gothenburg.
History
The oldest written evidence of a naval station in
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
dates from 1523, when
Gustav Vasa
Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksföre ...
based a number of smaller ships at
Old Älvsborg Fortress. The Gothenburg Squadron was discontinued in 1959, and its war organization was partly taken over by the Third Squadron (''Tredje eskadern''). In the peace organization, the newly formed 6th Mine Clearance Department (''6. minröjningsavdelningen'', 6. mröjA), which was to be placed at the
Gullmarn
Gullmarn, also known as Gullmarsfjorden or Gullmaren, is a threshold fjord in the middle of Bohuslän Archipelago on the west coast of Sweden. It is the largest of the Bohuslän fjords with a length of and a width ranging from . At its mouth, ...
base in
Skredsvik, took over the tasks from the Gothenburg Squadron.
World War II
During the fall of 1939, the Gothenburg Squadron consisted of the following ships:
*Coastal defence ships: ''Manligheten''
*Destroyers: and
*Submarines: ''Hajen'', ''Sälen'' and ''Valrossen''
*Minesweepers: ''Starkodder'' and ''Styrbjörn''
*Gunboats: ''Skagerack''
*Patrol boats: 2 x type I and 6 x type II
In September, the squadron was strengthened with the Coastal Fleet's destroyers ''Klas Horn'' and ''Göteborg'' as well as two submarines.
References
Notes
Print
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Further reading
*{{cite book , last=Larsson , first=Kenneth , title=Flottans neutralitetsvakt 1939-1945: Göteborgseskadern , year=2011 , publisher=Flottans män , location=Lysekil , language=Swedish , id={{LIBRIS, 19210037
Squadrons of Sweden
Naval units and formations of Sweden
Disbanded units and formations of Sweden
Military units and formations established in 1939
Military units and formations disestablished in 1951