HNoMS Garm
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  HNoMS Garm before the war, clearly showing off her four funnels. |
|
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | |
| Launched: | 25 May 1913 |
| Commissioned: | 6 July 1914 |
| Fate: | Sunk 26 April 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 578 tons |
| Dimensions: | 69.20 m x 7.30 m x 2.9 m |
| Armament: | 6 x 7.6 cm (3 inch) guns 3 x trainable 45 cm torpedo tubes |
| Propulsion: | 8,000 hp, 27.4 knop |
| Crew: | 76 |
The destroyer HNoMS Garm, known localy as Torpedojager Garm (litt.: torpedohunter), was the third destroyer built for the Royal Norwegian Navy, and was a Draug class destroyer. Garm was built several years after her two sisterships, but to the same plans. She was mothballed after she became obsolete, but recommisioned 28 August 1939 and took part in the defence of Norway after the German invasion in 1940.
Contents |
[edit] Norwegian campaign service
On 9 April 1940 Garm was stationed at Norway's second largest city, Bergen, and the vessel operated in the Sognefjord after the Germans had occupied Bergen.
[edit] Attempted defence of Bergen
During the German attack on Bergen Garm intercepted the last ship of the enemy flotilla, the cruiser Königsberg, and tried to carry out a torpedo attack. This failed due to the distance between the two ships being to great for a quick surprise attack by the tiny Norwegian destroyer. As the Garm's commander, Captain Skjolden, attempted to close to torpedo range of the cruiser (the distance between the ships was about 4,000 meters and the torpedoes were pre-set for 2,000 meter range) the Königsberg opened fire and straddled the Norwegian ship with 15 cm shells. After a number of narrow misses from the German guns the Garm broke off her attack and fled to the north, pursued by Luftwaffe bombers.
[edit] Sinking in the Sognefjord
She was sunk by a direct hit from Luftwaffe bombers while anchored near her sister ship Troll at their Sognefjord base of Bjordal on 26 April.
Five German bombers attacked the two destroyers and one of the around thirty bombs dropped hit the Garm right behind the front funnel, detonating two of her torpedoes and some other ammunition. The old ship was almost broken in half by the explosion and burned for hours before sinking. All members of the crew had abandoned ship when the attack came as she had no anti-aircraft weapons to defend herself with, hence no casualties were endured during the Garm's sinking.
Garm was built at the naval shipyard in Horten, and her buildnumber was 107.
[edit] Name
She was named after Garm, the greatest of all wolfs and guardian of Hel - the Norse underworld for those died ingloriously of disease or in old age.
[edit] See also
[edit] Source
- Abelsen, Frank: Norwegian naval ships 1939-1945, Sem & Stenersen AS, Oslo 1986 ISBN 82-7046-050-9
[edit] References
- Naval History via Flix: KNM Draug, retrieved 29 January 2006
- Ships of the Norwegian navy, retrieved 29 January 2006
- Byggenummer ved Horten verft, retrieved 8 February 2006
| Norwegian destroyers |
| Draug class: Draug, Troll, Garm |
| Sleipner class: Sleipner, Gyller, Æger, Odin, Balder, Tor |
| S class: Svenner, Stord |
| Town class: Lincoln, St Albans, Mansfield, Bath, Newport All Town class vessels was loaned from the Royal Navy |
| C class: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger |
| Hunt class: Arendal, Haugesund, Tromsø |
Destroyers of the Royal Norwegian Navy |
