Gunboat ''Vale'' was a
''Vale''-class Rendel gunboat built for 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 ...
at
Karljohansvern Naval Yard in 1874. She was one of a class of five gunboats - the other ships in the class was
''Brage'',
''Nor'',
''Uller'' and
''Vidar''.
''Vale'' was, in addition to the heavy, muzzle-loading main gun, armed with a small 'Quick Fire' gun and a 37mm
Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon
The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different products of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century. It usually refers to the 1.65-inch (42 mm) light mountain gun; there were also a navy (47 mm) and a 3-inch (76&nbs ...
(broadly similar to the
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon.
The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyc ...
).
Later ''Vale'' and her sister ships was rebuilt as
mine layers, and she served in this role when the
Germans invaded in 1940. During the
Norwegian Campaign she served mainly in the
Sognefjord. She was captured by German forces after the surrender of Norwegian forces in southern Norway, and returned to Norway after the war.
The vessel was built at the Naval Yard at Horten, and had yard number 54.
External links
Naval history via Flix: KNM Vale retrieved 14 Feb 2006
Vale-class gunboats
Ships built in Horten
1874 ships
World War II minelayers of Norway
Naval ships of Norway captured by Germany during World War II
Minelayers of the Kriegsmarine
World War II minelayers of Germany
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