HSwMS Visby (K31)
{{Short description|Swedish Visby-class corvette}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:K31 HSwMS Visby (8644182258).jpg | Ship caption = HSwMS Visby in 2013 }} {{Infobox ship career | Hide header = | Ship country = | Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Sweden|naval}} | Ship name = Visby | Ship namesake = Visby | Ship ordered = 1995 | Ship builder = Kockums | Ship laid down = 17 February 1995 | Ship launched = 8 June 2000 | Ship commissioned = 16 September 2002 | Ship decommissioned = | Ship in service = 2012 | Ship out of service = | Ship struck = | Ship reinstated = | Ship identification = *{{MMSI Number|265823000}}
| Ship badge = 100px | Ship homeport = Berga | Ship fate = | Ship status = Active | Ship notes = }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship class = Visby-class corvette | Ship displacement = {{convert|650|LT|t|abbr=on|order=flip}} | Ship length = {{convert|72.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|10.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship draft = {{convert|2.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | Ship propulsion = *CODAG
| Ship speed = 45+ knots{{fact|date=April 2023}} | Ship range = | Ship complement = *27 officers
| Ship sensors = *Ericsson Sea Giraffe ABM 3D surveillance radar
| Ship EW = Rheinmetall Waffe Munition MASS (Multi-Ammunition Softkill) decoy system | Ship armament = *1 × Bofors 57 mm gun Mk 3 | Ship armour = | Ship armor = | Ship aircraft = | Ship aircraft facilities = Helipad | Ship notes = }} |
HSwMS Visby (K31) is the lead ship of the {{sclass|Visby|corvette}}s. It was created as a stealth ship, and underwent a decade long testing phase before it entered service with the Swedish Navy.
Design and description
{{Main|Visby-class corvette}}
HSwMS Visby is the lead ship of the {{sclass|Visby|corvette}}s.{{cite web|title=Swedish Navy's HMS Visby test fires first guided missile|url=http://www.naval-technology.com/news/newsswedish-navy-hms-visby-test-fires-first-guided-missile|publisher=Naval-Technology.com|accessdate=October 19, 2014|date=July 2, 2012}} It was built by Kockums at the Karlskrona naval base, and was the first of four vessels of the class which are designed for coastal warfare.
The hull of the vessel is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, a stealth technology, in order to make the vessel difficult to detect by other forces. A minimum of external equipment is stored outside of the vessel, with equipment such as liferafts being stored inside the hull.{{cite news|title="Ryssland intresserat av vad vi övar"|url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/ryssland-intresserat-av-vad-vi-ovar_4021219.svd|accessdate=October 19, 2014|language=Swedish|work=SvD Nyhetter|date=October 18, 2014}} This hull also reduces the weight of the vessel by around half. It was intended to be radar silent until it moves within {{convert|30|km|mi}} of an enemy vessel, resulting in designer John Nilsson saying of it, "Naval officers fall in love with [this] ship. It's not classically beautiful. In fact it looks like a lunchbox. But it has better maneuverability and can achieve that level of stealth."
Construction and career
Visby completed sea trials in 2004.{{cite news|last1=Summers|first1=Chris|title=Stealth ships steam ahead|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3724219.stm|accessdate=October 19, 2014|work=BBC News|date=June 10, 2004}}
The ship underwent a further eight years of tests by the Swedish Defence Procurement Agency, before being delivered to the Navy in late 2012. These tests included the firing of the RBS15 Mk2 AShM, which took place in July 2012. In October 2014, Visby was amongst the Swedish vessels patrolling in an exercise for finding the source of "foreign underwater activity" which was rumoured to be a Russian submarine, identified by distress call. This rumour was denied by the Swedish authorities, who described it as an "intelligence operation".{{cite news|title=Russia denies submarine incident off Sweden|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29680960|accessdate=October 19, 2014|work=BBC News|date=October 19, 2014}}
After Sweden joined NATO in march 2024, it was announced on January 21 2025 that Visby would be part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, contributing to operations under the Baltic Sentry initiative.{{Cite web |last=Willett |first=Dr Lee |date=2025-01-21 |title=NATO Builds Baltic Sentry Network Across Region |url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/01/nato-builds-baltic-sentry-network-across-region/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Naval News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=NATO’s Baltic Sentry steps up patrols in the Baltic Sea to safeguard Critical Undersea Infrastructure |url=https://mc.nato.int/media-centre/news/2025/nato-baltic-sentry-steps-up-patrols-in-the-baltic-sea-to-safeguard-critical-undersea-infrastructure |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250121121841/https://mc.nato.int/media-centre/news/2025/nato-baltic-sentry-steps-up-patrols-in-the-baltic-sea-to-safeguard-critical-undersea-infrastructure |archive-date=2025-01-21 |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=mc.nato.int |language=en}} The announcement comes after a recent series of suspected sabotages against underwater cables and other installations in the Baltic Sea area. This marks the first time in history that a Swedish naval ship is placed directly under NATO command.
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|HMS Visby (K31)}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20071005170109/http://www.fmv.se/default.aspx?id=121 FMV]—Official homepage
- [http://www.kockums.se/ Kockums]—Official homepage
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070927004941/http://www.marinen.mil.se/visby/index.php?lang=sve&c=press Swedish navy page on the Visby trials] {{in lang|sv}}
{{ActiveSwedishNavyClasses}}
{{Visby class corvette}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visby (K31)}}