H.M Hjälpkanonbåt H22
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H.M Hjälpkanonbåt H22 was an icebreaker who was called in to serve as an auxiliary gunboat in the Swedish navy during ww2. Built in 1916 for icebreaking in Norrköping under the name “Isbrytaren II”, she served in the civilian sector up until September of 1939 when she was called to serve in the Swedish navy due to the lack of ships available for use. Equipped with various cannons and machine guns, she served in the Eastern marine district all the way until September of 1945 where she was stripped of military gear and sent back to her rightful owner of Norrköping city.
History
In the early 1910’s, the city of Norrköping allocated funds for a new icebreaker to be used in the city’s harbor during the winter months, the resulting ship was the “Isbrytaren II”. Built in Stockholm by Berglunds Varv, she was delivered in 1916 under the name Isbrytaren II. She was a coal-powered ship made out of steel to be used for (You guessed it!) ice breaking in Norrköping harbor but could also be used as a tugboat when the need would arise.
As she was when delivered!
Isbrytaren II would serve quietly in the civilian sector for many years all the way up to the start of ww2 where in 1939, she was called to serve in the Swedish navy in any way she could. Soon enough she was sent in for equipment fitting where her transformation from Icebreaker to Gunboat began. Mounted on her were 3 x 57mm Kan m/89B, 2 x 6.5mm m/14 machine guns, Fog dispensers, 2 x depth charge droppers and a radio m/39, this was the form she would serve in until a refit in 1941 began, replacing two of the 57mm cannons with 40mm lvkan m/36. The following year in 1942 she was again refitted, this time the last 57mm Kan m/89B was “replaced” with a newer 57mm lvkan m/36 and the 6.5mm machine guns on the cabin roof were replaced by two twin 8mm lvksp m/36 machine guns, this form was her final and she served with this equipment until the end of the war seeing no action and really just sailing the Swedish east coast, being decommissioned and sent back to Norrköping city to return to her civilian use as an Icebreaker on the 8th of September, 1945.
Yeah she really didnt do much during her time in the navy, but people loved her, she had a very nice profile!
In her 1942 military fitting, 1945.
After she was given back to her owners in Norrköping, she served the city as Isbrytaren II again until 1952 where she was renamed to Pampus and was now classified as a tugboat, though she still did her ice breaking duty. In 1957 however, a newer icebreaker was procured by Norrköping city and she was to be renamed back to Isbrytaren II again, beginning in 1958.
In 1958, she was sold to the Oskarshamn Port Authority and renamed to “Björn”, serving as Björn until 1963 where she was sold again to the Finnish company Mattson Stevedoring Co. They modernized her in 1964 and renamed her to “Akke”, serving as Akke when she was sold to another company named Suomen Yritysrahoitus Oy who then AGAIN sold her to another company named R & M Hinaus Oy.
Later on she was YET AGAIN sold to another company named R & M Hinaus Oy who sold her one final time in 1998 to a company named AB Isbjörn Oy where they renamed her to “Bamse”. As far as i know she is still in active service as of this day, continuing her adventure even after 100 years.
As she is sailing as Bamse.
Armament and stats
Length: 30,92 meters
Width: 9,48 meters
Height: 4,44 meters
Speed: 10 knots (Blistering i know, all thanks to that 700HP Varvets Triple-ångmaskin.)
Crew: 45
Armament: 1 x 57mm Lvkan m/38, 2 x 40mm Lvakan m/38 (Classic Bofors), 4 x 8mm Lvksp m/36 (Two twin mounts).
Secondary armament: 2 x Sjunkbombfällare typ A depth charge throwers, she had 10 charges with her while armed.
