HSwMS ''Sjölejonet'' was the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of a class of nine naval submarines in the service of the Swedish Navy from just before

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 opposing ...

into the early Cold War. The submarines were ordered in response to the rising German threat to the south in the interwar period. ''Sjölejonet'' remained in service until 1959 and was sold for scrap in 1962.

Background and description

After 1930 the rise of the German threat to the south produced more investment in Sweden's military. The Swedish Navy was given more funds and new submarine designs were ordered. ''Sjölejonet'' was the

of her class of submariness. The vessel measured long with a beam of and a draught of . ''Sjölejonet'' had a

standard displacement The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...

of and submerged. The vessel was propelled by two propellers powered by two

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

s when surfaced creating and two electric motors when submerged rated at . This gave the submarine a maximum speed of surfaced and submerged. The submarine had a crew of 38. ''Sjölejonet'' was armed with six

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s, three of which were situated in the bow, one in the stern and the remaining two in a single traversing deck mounting. For anti-aircraft defence, the submarines had two guns in disappearing mounts. In the 1950s, ''Sjölejonet'' underwent a major refit where the guns and deck torpedo tubes were removed and the conning tower was streamlined. The submarine's displacements remained the same, now surfaced and the diesels capable of and electric motors , but only a maximum speed of surfaced. The number of crew was reduced to 32.

Construction and career

Constructed by Kockums MV A/Bat their shipyard in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal pop ...

, Sweden, ''Sjölejonet''s

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

in 1935. The submarine was launched on 25 July 1936 and was commissioned on 21 August 1938. The submarine remained in service until stricken on 15 May 1959. The vessel was sold for scrap in 1962.

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References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sjolejonet (1936) Sjölejonet-class submarines Ships built in Malmö 1936 ships