The Royal Swedish Navy released new details about its future surface surface combatants. The four vessels will be known as Luleå-class and named after coastal cities.
Naval News Staff 24 Jun 2023
Royal Swedish Navy press release – Translated by Naval News
Following a Ministry of Defence decision from 2020, four new surface combatants and new harbor tugs will be added to the Royal Swedish Navy. Although the ships are still on the drawing board, the chief of the Navy made a decision this spring on what the eight new ships will be called.
“The surface combatants will be named after Swedish coastal towns that have or have had great importance to the Navy. The harbor tugs are traditionally named after Greek mythology names”
Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, Chief of the Royal Swedish Navy
It is the head of the navy, in her capacity as shipowner of the armed forces, who selects which names the Swedish Navy’s ships will bear. For the name to be used, the approval of HM the King of Sweden is required, which all ships have received.
Luleå-class Surface Combatant
The new surface combatants were named after coastal cities along the long Swedish coast, from north to west. The first ship-in-class will be known as HSwMS Luleå. The other ships are HSwMS Norrköping, HSwMS Trelleborg and HSwMS Halmstad.
“The Luleå-class will be larger than our existing Visby and Gävle-class corvettes and will be equipped to operate in all levels of conflict against surface, air and sub-surface targets. The ships will be important additions to an active defense and they will also be adapted to international contexts with our partner countries.”
Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, Chief of the Royal Swedish Navy
The exact details, design and specifications of the ships are not yet finalized. The ships are expected to be delivered around 2030.
HSwM LULEÅ:
Luleå is an important port in Norrbotten. The city is of particular importance to the livelihood of the kingdom, being a major shipping port for the Lapland iron ore and steel industries. The choice of Luleå also addresses the North Cape as an important area of security interest for Sweden.
Former naval vessels bearing the city’s name include the torpedo boat HSwMS Luleå, part of the successful Norrkoeping-class, launched in 1975 and converted to a missile boat in 1984. The ship was taken out of service in 2002.
HSwM NORRKÖPING:
HSwMS Norrköping will be the sixth ship named after the strategically important port city in the Bråviken. The first HSwMS Norrköping in the Swedish Navy was a 52-gun ship launched in Karlskrona in 1698.
The last two ships to bear the name HSwMS Norrköping were the 1940 destroyer and the first ship in the 12-ship series of torpedo/missile boats in the 1970s, which was decommissioned in 2005.
HSwM TRELLEBORG:
HSwMS Trelleborg will be the first ship in the Swedish Navy to bear this name. The strategic importance of Trelleborg was recognized as early as the Viking Age, when a fortress was built at the “Trelleborgen” site. The earliest known mention of the place dates back to 1257, when it was given as a wedding gift to the Swedish prince Valdemar (Birgersson) for his marriage to the Danish princess Sofia Eriksdotter.
Trelleborg has always been an important place for shipping, from the stream fishing and trading forests of ancient times to the large ferries and container ships of today. Today, Trelleborg’s strategic location at the absolute southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula is the source of extensive shipping traffic to surrounding countries and cities on the Baltic Sea and the rest of Europe.
HSwM HALMSTAD:
Halmstad’s location and important harbor are integral to the later naval buildup on the west coast and in the North Sea. As early as 1676, the city played an important role when a Danish army was defeated by the Swedes. This averted the threat to Gothenburg and enabled a concentration of forces in Skåne before the great battle of Lund on the fourth of December of the same year. The victory name is today carried on the field insignia of the Life Guards and Hussars of the Life Regiment (K3).
The first ship named HSwMS Halmstad was a 48-gun frigate launched in Karlskrona in 1699. The ship played an active role in the war against Denmark in the 1710s. She also took part in the defense of the Aelvsborg fortress during the attack of the Norwegian-Danish commander Peter Tordenskioeld on Gothenburg in 1717.
The torpedo boat HSwMS Halmstad belonged to the long Norrkoeping class. The ship became one of the longest serving missile boats after being converted to a missile boat before being retired in 2002. The armed forces have long had close ties with Halmstad, including the Halmstad Military Academy, 14th Flygflottiljen (F14) and Lv6 Air Defense Regiment.
Harbor Tugs for Advanced Logistics
Harbor tugs are smaller tugs that supplement the Navy’s larger tugs for work in naval ports and bases. The vessels are part of the evolution of the Navy’s logistics and base function. The tugs will be delivered in 2023 and 2024.
“The harbor tugs will be part of the new naval base battalions that will be established in 2023. The battalions will become part of the Navy’s regular logistics function in the fall, and our new harbor tugs are a much-needed addition,” says Skoog Haslum.
The ships were named as follows. All ship names have traditionally received King’s approval HM.
HERMES:
Hermes was in Greek mythology the messenger of the gods and the son of Zeus. Hermes is the second ship in the navy to bear the name Hermes. The first HSwMS Hermes (A253) was also a tugboat built in 1956 at the Karlskrona shipyard. The older HSwMS Hermes was involved in the incident with U.137 at Gåsefjärden in 1981. The ship was sold to civilian buyers in 2007.
HERA:
Hera was the goddess of marriage and fertility in ancient Greece and the wife of Zeus. Between 1971 and 2016, the navy had a tug named Hera (A324). The ship was built at Åsiverken in Åmål in 1971 and sold to a civilian buyer in 2016.
HEBE:
Hebe is also a goddess in ancient Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Zeus and Hera. In Olympus she helped with household chores and was the goddess of water and youth. The navy’s first tug, HSwMS Hebe, was built for the fleet at Mohög’s Mechanical Workshop in 1969.
HEROS:
Heros is the second ship in the Navy named Heros. The first tug named HSwMS Heros (A323) was built at Karlskrona Orlogsvarv in 1955. The ship served for 61 years before being sold to civilian buyers in 2016. The ship participated in the incident with U-137 in 1981.
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Naval News comments:
The latest recommendations on the future of the Swedish Armed Forces were published in November 2022. Check out this article by Robin Häggblomto find out more:
Changes Ahead for Swedish Naval Plans
In addition, Naval News interviewed in April 2022 both Rear Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, chief of the Royal Swedish Navy, and Brigadier General Patric Hjort, head of naval division at FMV and director of naval procurement. Here is our coverage:
