The ''Bjørgvin''-class coastal battleships were ordered by
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
in 1912 to supplement the older and s. The two ships laid down were compulsorily purchased 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 ...
when
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 ...
broke out, and classified as
monitors
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. The British government paid Norway £370,000 as compensation for each ship.
Ships in class
* (1912) - Compulsorily purchased by the British Navy and renamed , blew up in a September 1918 accident.
* (1912) - Compulsorily purchased by the British Navy and renamed .
Description
The ''Bjørgvin'' class would be significantly more heavily armed than the previous ''Eidsvold'' class:
* Two 24 cm/50 guns, which in British service were relined to use standard British ammunition and became 9.2"/51. These were considered among the longest-ranged guns in the world in 1918. As designed, they would have fired a projectile with a muzzle velocity of 884 m/s (2,900 ft/s), capable of penetrating of face-hardened armour at a range of .
* Four 15 cm/50 in single turrets - one aft, one fore, two midships (one on either side). In British service they were relined to take standard ammunition.
British 6"/49 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XVIII
updated 1 April 2005, retrieved 9 December 2005
* Six guns.
* Two submerged torpedo tubes.
In addition to the heavier armament, the two ships of the ''Bjørgvin'' class were also significantly better armoured, with her armour better distributed:
* thick armour in the belt
* thick armour on the turrets
* thick armour in the barbettes
* thick armoured deck
* thick armour on the conning tower
* thick armoured bulkheads
Notes
References
from the website of the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum
The Armed Forces Museum of Norway (Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Forsvarsmuseet - The Defence Museum'') is located at Akershus Castle (Building 62) in Oslo, Norway. Previously it was named Hærmuseet, ''The Army Museum'' (even earlier the Arti ...
, retrieved 9 December 2005
* On guns, see Notes.
Naval History via Flix: KNM Nidaros
retrieved 11 December 2005
retrieved 9 December 2005
External links
head on view
Details of the forecastle
an
details of bridge
retrieved 15 January 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjorgvin Class Coastal Defence Ship
Coastal defense ship classes