HNoMS ''Tordenskjold'', known locally as Panserskipet Tordenskjold, was a Norwegian

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

. She, her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

, , and the slightly newer were built as a part of the general rearmament in the time leading up to the events in 1905. ''Tordenskjold'' remained an important vessel in the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...

until she was considered unfit for war in the mid-1930s.

Description

Built at Elswick and nearly identical to her sister ship , ''Tordenskjold'' was named after

Peter Wessel Tordenskjold Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720), commonly referred to as Tordenskjold (), was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the ran ...

, an eminent Norwegian naval hero in the service of the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway. Built as a typical

pre-dreadnought Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, prote ...

battleship on a small scale, she carried guns of a wide range of calibers: two guns in

barbette Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships. In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...

s, six , six , and six smaller quick-firing guns. The ship could manage a speed of over . Protected by

belt armor Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated onto or within the outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and aircraft carriers. The belt armor is designed to prevent projectiles from penetrating to ...

of thickness, the ship also featured gun barbettes with nearly of steel armor and an armored deck.

Service history and fate

A vital part of the Royal Norwegian Navy, ''Tordenskjold'' performed ordinary duties until 1918, when she was turned into a cadet ship. She performed well in this role, carrying out eighteen training cruises until considered "unfit for war" in the mid-1930s. After the

German invasion of Norway German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

, she was seized by the Germans and rebuilt as a floating

flak Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

battery with 10.5 cm AA guns and renamed ''Nymphe''. In May, 1945 she was damaged by

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

aircraft at Svolvaer and beached. She was refloated later in the year. After the war ''Tordenskjold'' was used briefly as a floating barracks before she was sold for scrapping in 1948. Nymphe Norwegian harbour

It was intended to augment the Norwegian coastal defence ship fleet with the two ships of the , ordered in 1912, but after these were confiscated by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

the ''Tordenskjold'' class and the slightly newer, two ship were forced to soldier on long after they were obsolete.

Today

Today the name KNM ''Tordenskjold'' is used on the Norwegian Naval Training Establishment (NORNAVTRAINEST) at

Haakonsvern Haakonsvern is the main base of the Royal Norwegian Navy and the largest naval base in the Nordic area. The base is located at Mathopen within Bergen municipality, about 15 km south-west of the city centre. Around 5,400 people work at the base ...

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. File:Anchor of HNoMS Tordenskjold (2007).JPG, The anchor of ''Tordenskjold'' (2007) File:KNM Tordenskjold.png, Plans of panserskipet ''Tordenskjold''. File:Tordenskjold class plan.gif, Note heavy guns in turrets fore and aft, and secondary armament in central battery.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tordenskjold Tordenskjold-class coastal defence ships Ships built on the River Tyne 1897 ships World War II coastal defence ships of Norway Naval ships of Norway captured by Germany during World War II Auxiliary ships of the Kriegsmarine World War II coastal defense ships of Germany Maritime incidents in May 1945