Bjørgvin-class coastal defence ship
The Bjørgvin-class coastal battleships were ordered by Norway in 1912 to supplement the older Eidsvold and Tordenskjold-class coastal defence ships. The two ships laid down were compulsorily purchased by the Royal Navy when World War I broke out, and classified as monitors. The British government paid Norway £370,000 as compensation for each ship.
 Bjørgvin as HMS Glatton | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Eidsvold class |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Built | 1912–1914 |
| In commission | 1914–1928 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Coastal defence ship |
| Displacement | 4,900 long tons (4,979 t) |
| Length | 94 m (308 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 16.8 m (55 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion | Coal-fired reciprocating steam engines, 4,000 shp (2,983 kW) |
| Speed | 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Complement | 305 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | |
Ships in class
- Bjørgvin (1912) - Compulsorily purchased by the British Navy and renamed HMS Glatton, blew up in a September 1918 accident.
- Nidaros (1912) - Compulsorily purchased by the British Navy and renamed HMS Gorgon.
Description
The Bjørgvin class would be significantly more heavily armed than the previous Eidsvold class:
- Two 24 cm/50 guns, which in British service were relined to use standard British ammunition and became 9.2"/51.[1] These were considered among the longest-ranged guns in the world in 1918. As designed, they would have fired a 190 kg (420 lb) projectile with a muzzle velocity of 884 m/s (2,900 ft/s), capable of penetrating 22.2 cm (8.7 in) of face-hardened armour at a range of 7,000 m (7,700 yd).
- Four 15 cm/50 in single turrets - one aft, one fore, two midships (one on either side). In British service they were relined to take standard 6 inches (15 cm) ammunition.[2]
- Six 10 cm (3.9 in) guns.
- Two submerged torpedo tubes.
In addition to the heavier armament, the two ships of the Bjørgvin class were also significantly better armoured, with her armour better distributed:
- 7 inches (18 cm) thick armour in the belt
- 8 inches (20 cm) thick armour on the turrets
- 8 inches (20 cm) thick armour in the barbettes
- 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) thick armoured deck
- 8 inches (20 cm) thick armour on the conning tower
- 4 inches (10 cm) thick armoured bulkheads
Notes
- British 9.2"/51 (23.4 cm) Mark XII, updated 8 April 2005, retrieved 9 December 2005
- British 6"/49 (15.2 cm) BL Mark XVIII, updated 1 April 2005, retrieved 9 December 2005
References
- Model of KNM Bjørgnvin, from the website of the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum, retrieved 9 December 2005
- On guns, see Notes.
- Naval History via Flix: KNM Nidaros, retrieved 11 December 2005
- Naval History via Flix: Technical Details of Ship HMS Gorgon, retrieved 9 December 2005
External links
- Model of KNM Bjørgnvin, head on view
- Details of the forecastle and details of bridge.
- The loss of the HMS Glatton, an "interesting little ship", retrieved 15 January 2007
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