Storm class
 The P32 Selis (formerly P967 Skudd )
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The Storm class was a 20-unit speedboat class of the Norwegian Navy . All 20 boats in Norway have now been taken out of service. After the ships then z. Some of them were still used abroad, they were gradually phased out there too.
Conception
The Storm class was planned as a so-called Motorkanonbåter (German: Kanonenschnellboot) in the early 1960s as a supplement to the 22 torpedo speed boats of the Tjeld class . Specifically, this meant that the 22 boats of the Tjeld class and the planned 24 boats of the Storm class should together form small task forces, with the Tjelds carrying wire-guided torpedoes as main armament, while the Storms should receive relatively heavy artillery armament. In this combination, these task forces were supposed to defend the long coast of Norway with its many fjords against a possible invasion of the Soviet Union .
Most of the operational plans were drawn up by the Norwegian Lieutenant Commander Harald Henriksen, who was later promoted to captain at sea . He also made the first Norwegian post-war buildings, the Rapp class , as well as the later Snøgg and Hauk classes .
history
After the planning work had been completed, construction of the type ship, KNM Storm , began. The launch took place on February 8, 1962 and the boat was completed on May 31, 1963. Extensive tests then began in order to discover weak points in the design. After a few minor changes had been made, the first series boats of the Norwegian Navy could start in 1965. For cost reasons, only 20 units were procured instead of the planned 24, all of which were in service by the end of 1967. The P960 KNM Storm followed as one of the last units , as the test boat of that name was scrapped and replaced by a series boat of the same name.
In the early 1970s, all boats in the class were modernized.
After the Warsaw Pact collapsed , eight boats were decommissioned without replacement because a conflict with the Soviet Union had become unlikely. In Defense Analysis '96 it was planned to replace all 14 Hauk and 8 Storm boats with a new type of speedboat. By 2000, however, all Storm boats were taken out of service, and the Hauk boats are only to be replaced by the new Skjold class units at a ratio of 2: 1 . With their long service from the mid-1960s to the year 2000, their large numbers and their strong armament, they formed the backbone of the Norwegian Navy for a long time.
In parallel to the decommissioning of all 20 units, various options for further use were considered. One boat was preserved in the Norwegian Naval Museum in Horten , two boats were laid up in the Haakonsvern naval base , three units were given to the Baltic navies free of charge and five more were sold to these countries. The remaining nine boats were scrapped.
The units put into service with the Lithuanian Navy were renamed P31 Dzūkas , P32 Sėlis and P33 Skalvis , with the Sėlis being the last boat to be decommissioned in 2017. In the Latvian Navy , the boats P-01 Zibens , P-02 Lode , P-03 Linga and P-04 Bulta were also taken out of service between 2011 and 2013. The P968 Arg donated to Estonia served as a gate and has meanwhile been rededicated as a museum ship. The units no longer actively used by Latvia and Lithuania were z. T. also cannibalized as spare parts donors. The missile armament of all boats of the Baltic navies was disarmed before handover.
technology
Building material
In contrast to most speedboats of German origin, which were made of plywood, the hull was made entirely of steel. This has the disadvantage that the magnetic properties of the steel can trigger magnetic mines . On the other hand, such a hull is more stable and easier to manufacture.
The superstructures with their characteristic rounded shapes were entirely made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic .
drive
It is driven by two diesel engines, each with an output of 2640 kW. The German company MTU Friedrichshafen was chosen as the manufacturer . This propulsion allows a top speed of 36 knots, which is relatively slow compared to other speedboats of this size. The diesel engines are relatively economical and thus allow a relatively long range, which is an advantage in the extensive Norwegian waters.
Armament
As described above, the Storm-class boats were designed as rapid cannon boats, which is why they were originally only armed with guns. A gun in caliber 76 mm with 50 caliber lengths from the Swedish armaments company Bofors was chosen as the main weapon . This weapon was more than adequate armament for boats of this size and was installed on the forecastle.
A 40 mm Bofors gun with 70 caliber lengths was also scaffolded at the stern as secondary armament and primarily for air defense .
However, when an Egyptian Osa-class boat sank an Israeli destroyer about eight times larger by anti-ship missiles in 1967, the development of such weapon systems began in all major western states, including Norway. In contrast to most other anti-ship missiles of that time, there was interest in Norway in a much lighter and smaller missile that could also be used by small speedboats and helicopters. The result was the AGM-119 Penguin , with which all boats of the Storm class were retrofitted from 1970. Specifically, this meant that six penguins were set up at the stern of the boats in single starters made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic.
Storm-class units
A total of 21 boats of the class were built. Of these, 20 were regularly put into service by the Norwegian Navy.
| Identifier | Surname | completion | period of service | fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | KNM Storm | May 31, 1963 | - | Prototype, scrapped after testing |
| P960 | KNM Storm | October 6, 1967 | ? | scrapped |
| P961 | KNM blink | June 28, 1965 | ? | Museum ship in Horten (Norway) |
| P962 | KNM Glimt | September 27, 1965 | ? | scrapped |
| P963 | KNM Skjold | February 1966 | ? | scrapped |
| P964 | KNM Trygg | ? | ? | scrapped |
| P965 | KNM Kjekk | ? | ? | Taken over from Lithuania as Dzūkas |
| P966 | KNM Djerv | ? | ? | Taken over from Latvia as Zibens |
| P967 | KNM Skudd | ? | ? | Taken over from Lithuania as Sėlis |
| P968 | KNM Arg | ? | 1966-1994 | Taken over from Estonia as Torm |
| P969 | KNM steep | ? | until 2001 | taken over by Lithuania as Skalvis |
| P970 | KNM Brann | ? | ? | scrapped |
| P971 | KNM entourage | ? | ? | scrapped |
| P972 | KNM Hvass | ? | ? | Taken over from Latvia as Lode |
| P973 | KNM trust | ? | ? | Taken over from Latvia as Bulta |
| P974 | KNM bread | ? | ? | scrapped |
| P975 | KNM Odd | ? | ? | scrapped |
| P976 | KNM Pil | ? | ? | Museum ship in Haakonsvern |
| P977 | KNM Brask | ? | ? | Museum ship in Haakonsvern |
| P978 | KNM Rokk | ? | ? | scrapped |
| P979 | KNM Gnist | ? | ? | Taken over from Latvia as Linga |
Border troops (Piirivalveameti) , Estonia
In 1994 a ship was handed over to Estonia and used by the border guards there until 2008.
| Identifier | Surname | period of service | fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| PVL 105 | Torm | 1994-2008 | decommissioned, museum ship in the Estonian Maritime Museum |
In 1995 a boat of the class was handed over to Latvia and used by the local navy. Later three more units followed, which were also used by the local naval forces.
| Identifier | Surname | period of service | fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| P-04 | Bulta | 1995-2011 | retired |
| P-01 | Zibens | 2001–2012 | retired |
| P-02 | Lode | 2001-2013 | retired |
| P-03 | Linga | 2001–2012 | retired |
In 1995 a boat of the class was handed over to Lithuania and used by the local navy - this was followed by two more units in 2001.
| Identifier | Surname | period of service | fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| P31 | Dzūkas | 1995-2007 | retired |
| P32 | Sėlis | 2001-2017 | retired |
| P33 | Skalvis | 2001-2011 | retired |
