The ''Tjeld'' class was a class of twenty fast patrol boats designed and 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 ...

in the late 1950s. They were used as torpedo boats in Norway where this type of vessel were called MTBs or motor torpedo boats (''motortorpedobåt''). They remained in service until the late 1970s, when they were placed in reserve; all were stricken by 1995.

Construction

The ''Tjeld'' class was based on a prototype fast patrol boat, the ''Nasty'', developed and introduced as a private venture by Boat Services Ltd. A/S,

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, in close cooperation with

officers with

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

experience in fast patrol boats; the chief designer being naval architect Jan Herman Linge. The Norwegian ''Tjeld''-class vessels were constructed at Westermoen Båtbyggeri in

Mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

. The first group of twelve vessels was ordered in 1957, launched between 1959 and 1960, and commissioned in 1960-1962. A second group of eight vessels was ordered in 1962, launched 1962-63 and commissioned 1963-66. The design was also marketed abroad, to the then-

West German Navy The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...

and the U.S. Navy, where they were known as the ''Nasty'' class, and to the

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of vari ...

as the ''Tjeld'', or Improved ''Nasty'' type.Conway p294 The U.S. Navy operated twenty of the United States Nasty-class patrol boats, with pennant numbers PTF-3 through PTF-22, primarily in the conduct of riverine warfare during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. A subsequent improved version, the Osprey class, was larger with aluminum instead of wooden hulls, of which four were operated by the U.S.Navy, PTF-23 through PTF-26. Many examples were later transferred to and operated by Naval Reserve units in the 1970s and 1980s until phased out of service. A handful survive as museum articles, either restored or currently undergoing restoration.http://www.ptfnasty.com/ , and http://libertymaritime.com/index.htm/

Service history

The twenty ''Tjeld'' class vessels remained in service until the late 1970s; ''Skarv'' was stricken in 1978 and six others in 1979, the remainder being laid up in reserve. All vessels had been disposed of by 1995. All the vessels of the first group were named after seabirds; those of the second group were named for fish or sea mammals. Some of the boats were later renamed, as the bird names were going to be used for the . These boats took over the names of other ''Tjeld''-class vessels which had been sold in 1981.

List of vessels

First group

Second group

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tjeld class, Norway Patrol boat classes Torpedo boats of the Royal Norwegian Navy Napier Deltic Ships built in Mandal, Norway Fast attack craft