Göteborg-class destroyer

Göteborg
Class overview
Operators	Swedish Navy
Preceded by	Klas class
Succeeded by	Visby class
Built	1933–1941
In commission	1936–1968
Planned	6
Completed	6
Retired	6
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	1,040 long tons (1,060 t) (standard)
Length	92.7 m (304 ft 2 in)
Beam	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Draught	3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 screws; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed	39 knots (72 km/h; 45 mph)
Range	1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	130
Armament	3 × single 120 mm (4.7 in) guns 3 × twin Bofors 25 mm (1 in) AA guns 2 × triple 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes 20 × naval mines

The Göteborg class was a Swedish World War II destroyer class. Built from 1936–1941 the class was designed as escort and neutral guard destroyers. In total six ships were constructed, HSwMS Göteborg, HSwMS Stockholm, HSwMS Malmö, HSwMS Karlskrona, HSwMS Gävle and HSwMS Norrköping. After World War II the destroyers, later rebuilt as frigates, continued to serve in the Swedish navy. The last ship was decommissioned in 1968.

In 1933 the Swedish government granted the construction of two new destroyers.^[1] The destroyers were given names of Swedish coast towns and so this class was called Stadsjagare ("Town-class destroyers"). The first ship was delivered in 1936 and the second in 1937. In 1936 two additional destroyers were ordered and after the war broke out a third pair was ordered as well.^[2] After the war all destroyers except Göteborg which was in poor shape from the Hårsfjärden disaster received a refit where the center gun was moved to the X position on the aft deckhouse and the anti-aircraft armament (consisting of four modern Bofors 40 mm L/70 guns) was concentrated on a platform around the rear funnel. In 1958–1963 three of the destroyers were rebuilt as frigates that included a change of armament. The first ship to be decommissioned was Göteborg in 1958. In the decade that followed all ships were decommissioned, the last in 1968.

The famous Swedish marine engineer Curt Borgenstam called the Göteborg class the most beautiful and well working destroyer class to have served in the Swedish navy.^[3]

• Borgenstam, Curt; Insulander, Per; Kaudern, Gösta (1989), Jagare: med Svenska flottans jagare under 80 år (in Swedish), Västra Frölunda: Marinlitteratur, ISBN 91-970700-4-1, SELIBR 7792227
• Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1995), Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995, Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 1-55750-132-7
• Westerlund, Karl-Erik (1980). "Sweden". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 368–377. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Westerlund, Karl-Erik (1985). "Sweden". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 355–363. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
• Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.