- Yes
- No
(Close-up video)
History
Sammanfattning
The story of the Robot Boats begins with Torpedo Boat type Nkg, a group of twelve vessels constructed at the Karlskrona Shipyard AB between 1973 and 1976. Previously, the tradition had been to name torpedo boats after stars, but the Nkg series ships were instead named after cities, breaking with the old Swedish Navy custom of naming ships after stars and constellations. Already in 1976, the idea of modifying the Nkg class into robot boats was proposed, with plans to use the American Harpoon missile. However, in 1979, the Swedish parliament decided that Sweden should develop and acquire its own Swedish missile instead of purchasing the Harpoon. As a result, the ships were equipped with the completely Swedish-made Robot 15.
From 1981 onwards, modifications began, which involved equipping the ships with missiles and improving radar, combat control, and fire control systems. The type name was thus changed to “Robot Boat type Norrköping.” In 1995, further modernization and a six-year overhaul began for HMS Ystad (R-142), the first of six planned to be retained; the other six robot boats, HMS Norrtälje (R133), HMS Varberg (R134), HMS Västerås (R135), HMS Västervik (R136), HMS Umeå (R137), and Strömstad (R141), were decommissioned.
The modernization mainly involved some ship technical measures such as replacing the GT5 for power supply with an additional diesel-powered generator, hydraulic start for turbines, vibration measurement equipment for main machinery, torpedo weapon control systems, RBS15 MK II missile instruments, air conditioning in the Combat Information Center (CIC), new VHF and navigation radar on the bridge, equipment for GMDSS, and a complete renovation of the combat control center with MARIL 2000. The type name was changed to “Robot Boat type Ystad” and with this modification, the ships were intended to remain operational until at least 2015.
The first ships to undergo the modification were HMS Ystad (R 142) and HMS Norrköping (R 131), followed by HMS Nynäshamn (R132) and HMS Luleå (R139), and finally HMS Piteå (R138) and HMS Halmstad (R140). The last ships were completed in the year 2000.
In 2001, two more ships from the series were decommissioned, HMS Luleå (R139) and HMS Halmstad (R140), leaving four ships remaining.
In 2003, two more ships from the series were decommissioned, HMS Nynäshamn (R132) and HMS Piteå (R138), leaving two ships remaining until the autumn of 2005 when the remaining two robot boats, in service HMS Ystad (R 142) and HMS Norrköping (R 131), were decommissioned and left at the Naval Base in Karlskrona.
Ship Data (Translation)
Sammanfattning
Data
Built: 1976
Length: 44,1 m
Width: 7,1 m
Height: 2,4 m
Displacement: 230 tons
Top speed: 40 knots
Engine: 3 Gas turbine type Bristol Siddely Proteus, effect 4500 hp/unit
Propellers: 3 KaMeWa (swivel able)
Rudders: 2 rudders between propellers
Electric and hydraulic: 2 Scania 6-cyl Dieses engines
Fire-control tower: Arte 722
Fire-control system: Maril 2000
Armament:
Missiles: max 8 “Robot 15 Mark II”
Torpedos: max 6 “Torped 61, 53 cm”
Main gun: Automatkanon Bofors 57 mm
Machineguns: 2 “m/58, 7.62 mm”
Countermeasures:
2 Mounts for 57mm Illumination & Chaff rockets.
2 dispensers for Chaff and flares.
Mine rail; for Depth charges and Mines*
(Sources)
