Karlskrona naval base
Encyclopedia
Karlskrona naval base is the largest naval base
of the Swedish Navy
located in Blekinge
in southern Sweden
. The naval base has intimate ties with the city of Karlskrona
. It has an exceptionally well sheltered location: arcs of islands provide a strong defense not only from the sea but also from land attacks. At present the naval base is the home base for two of Swedens three Naval Warfare Flottillas.
ceased hostilities after the Scanian War
(1675–1679), king Charles XI of Sweden
made a reconnaissance trip in the eastern part of the Blekinge archipelago. The king decreed the construction, on the island of Trossön of a city named 'Carlscroona'. The major reason for its construction was to provide the Swedish Navy with a permanent base closer to Denmark, which during the whole 17'th century had been the foremost enemy of Sweden. In addition, a shipyard was needed for both construction and repair of ships, as well as supply depots and barracks. The new base had the added advantage of being free of ice in winter, unlike the base in Stockholm
which had until then been the main base of the navy. A plan for the base was laid forth by quartermaster general Erik Dahlbergh in 1683, and construction was started two years later. The new city of Karlskrona received its city privileges in 1680.
.
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
of the Swedish Navy
Swedish Navy
The Royal Swedish Navy is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet – as well as marine units, the so-called Amphibious Corps .In Swedish, vessels of the Swedish Navy are given the prefix "HMS," short for Hans/Hennes...
located in Blekinge
Blekinge
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , situated in the south of the country. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea.The name "Blekinge" comes from the adjective bleke, which corresponds to the nautical term for "dead calm"....
in southern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The naval base has intimate ties with the city of Karlskrona
Karlskrona
Karlskrona is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 35,212 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the...
. It has an exceptionally well sheltered location: arcs of islands provide a strong defense not only from the sea but also from land attacks. At present the naval base is the home base for two of Swedens three Naval Warfare Flottillas.
History
After Sweden and DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
ceased hostilities after the Scanian War
Scanian War
The Scanian War was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark-Norway, Brandenburg and Sweden. It was fought mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish provinces along the border with Sweden and in Northern Germany...
(1675–1679), king Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI of Sweden
Charles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
made a reconnaissance trip in the eastern part of the Blekinge archipelago. The king decreed the construction, on the island of Trossön of a city named 'Carlscroona'. The major reason for its construction was to provide the Swedish Navy with a permanent base closer to Denmark, which during the whole 17'th century had been the foremost enemy of Sweden. In addition, a shipyard was needed for both construction and repair of ships, as well as supply depots and barracks. The new base had the added advantage of being free of ice in winter, unlike the base in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
which had until then been the main base of the navy. A plan for the base was laid forth by quartermaster general Erik Dahlbergh in 1683, and construction was started two years later. The new city of Karlskrona received its city privileges in 1680.
Ships
The base contains ships and vessels from the Swedish 1st Submarine Flotilla and the 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla (Sweden)
Swedish navy 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla was founded in 2005 when the former Mine-layer and Surface flotillas joined together. The flotilla's home base is in Karlskrona, Blekinge and is a part of the Karlskrona naval base...
.
- Södermanland class submarineSödermanland class submarineThe Swedish Södermanland class of diesel-electric submarines consist of the HMS Södermanland and HMS Östergötland. These two submarines were originally launched as Västergötland class submarines in 1987 and 1990, and have been relaunched as a new class after extensive modernization 2003 and 2004 by...
, 2 ships - Gotland class submarineGotland class submarineIn 2004, the Swedish government received a request from the United States of America to lease HMS Gotland – Swedish-flagged, commanded and manned, for a duration of one year for use in anti-submarine warfare exercises. The Swedish government granted this request in October 2004, with both...
, 3 ships - Stockholm class corvetteStockholm class corvetteStockholm class corvette is a corvette class in the Swedish Navy. Built in Karlskrona 1984–1985, it is armed with eight RBS15 anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, one 57mm cannon and several machine guns. In 1999/2000 the two units in the class were upgraded in the Karlskrona shipyard Kockums...
, 2 ships - Visby class corvetteVisby class corvetteThe Visby is the latest class of corvette to be adopted by the Royal Swedish Navy after the Göteborg and the Stockholm class corvettes. The ship's design heavily emphasizes "low visibility" or stealth technology. The first ship in the class is named after Visby, the main city on the island of Gotland...
, 2 ships - Tapper class patrol boatTapper class patrol boatThe Tapper class are a class of Swedish patrol boats. From 1993-1999 12 ships were constructed and entered service with the Swedish navy and amphibious corps. Tappers first function is to protect and patrol the Swedish coast waters. Its armament includes 12.7 mm heavy machine guns,...
s, 3 ships - Koster class minesweeperKoster class minesweeperKoster class is a minesweeper class operated by the Swedish navy. From 1982-1993 seven ships were constructed. Originally called "Landsords-class" five of the ships, Koster, Kullen, Vinga, Ven and Ulvön, went thrue massive upgrades 2007-2010 and received the new class name, Koster...
, 2 ships - Styrsö class minesweeperStyrsö class mine countermeasures vesselThe Styrsö class is a Swedish mine countermeasures vessel built from glass fiber. Among its intended missions are mine detection, mine hunting and patrolling. The ships are named after islands from four different archipelagos of Sweden.- Description :...
, 1 ship - Support ship HMS Trossö (A264)HMS Trossö (A264)HMS Trossö is an Akademik Shuleykin-class ice-strengthened patrol craft tender in the Swedish Navy. She was built in Finland for the Soviet Navy, launched in 1984 as Arnold Veimer and renamed Livonia in 1991.- History :...
- Work ship HMS Fårösund
External links
- Om marinbasen (in Swedish)