HSwMS Oscar II

Oscar II underway
Class overview
Preceded by	Äran class
Succeeded by	Sverige class
Completed	1
History
Sweden
Name	Oscar II
Namesake	Oscar II of Sweden
Ordered	23 September 1903
Builder	Lindholmens Mekaniska Verkstad, Gothenburg
Cost	SEK 3,390,000
Launched	10 June 1905
Commissioned	3 April 1907
Decommissioned	24 February 1950
Fate	Scrapped, 11 September 1974
General characteristics
Type	Coastal defence ship
Displacement	4,273 t (4,206 long tons) normal 4,584 t (4,512 long tons) full load
Length	95.6 m (313.6 ft) (lwl)
Beam	15.4 m (50 ft 6 in)
Draught	5.49 m (18 ft 0 in)
Installed power	10 Yarrow boilers 9,400 shp (7,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 × triple-expansion steam engines 2 × screw propellers
Speed	18 knots (33.3 km/h; 20.7 mph)
Range	3,550 nmi (6,570 km; 4,090 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement	326 (335 as a flagship)
Armament	2 × 210 mm (8.3 in) M/98 guns 4 × twin 152 mm (6 in) M/03 guns 10 × 5.7 cm (2.2 in) M/89B guns 3 × 37 mm (1.5 in) M/98B guns 2 × 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 100 to 150 mm (3.9 to 5.9 in) Barbette: 175 mm (6.9 in) Turrets: 60 to 125 mm (2.4 to 4.9 in) Deck: 22 mm (0.9 in) Forward conning tower: 157 mm (6.2 in) Aft conning tower: 100 mm (3.9 in)

HSwMS Oscar II^[a] was a coastal defence ship or Pansarskepp ("armoured ship") of the Swedish Navy. The vessel had a long career lasting over sixty years. A development of the preceding Äran-class coastal defence ship, the ship mounted a powerful armament on a small hull, which necessitated sacrificing speed and endurance. This design decision allowed Oscar II to match the firepower of contemporary armoured cruisers while still carrying the armour of a battleship. Protected by an armoured belt that had a maximum thickness of 150 mm (5.9 in), the ship was armed with a main battery of two 210 mm (8.3 in) Bofors guns mounted separately fore and aft. Maximum speed was 18 knots (20.7 mph; 33.3 km/h).

Commissioned on 3 April 1907, Oscar II served as the flagship of the Swedish Navy, with duties including transporting Swedish King Gustav V and his consort Queen Victoria to summits with Emperors Wilhelm II of Germany and Nicholas II of Russia. During the First World War, the ship supported the Swedish invasion of Åland from February to April 1918. At the end of the conflict, the vessel was decommissioned and only returned to service in September 1929. After being modernised and serving neutral Sweden during the Second World War, the vessel was once again called upon to transport royalty, in this case bringing the body of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, home from Denmark after the air crash of 26 January 1947. Decommissioned on 24 February 1950, Oscar II served as a training hulk until 11 September 1974, when it became the last of several Swedish coastal defence ships to be scrapped.

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