Storm-class patrol boat

Lithuanian Navy P33 Skalvis (ex-Norwegian Steil P969)
Class overview
Operators:	Royal Norwegian Navy  Estonian Navy  Latvian Naval Forces  Lithuanian Naval Force
Built:	1965-1967
Completed:	20
General characteristics
Displacement:	138 tons
Length:	36.5 m (120 ft)
Beam:	6.2 m (20 ft)
Draught:	1.8 m (6 ft)
Propulsion:	2 x Maybach diesel engines (7200 HP total)
Speed:	30 knots
Complement:	19 men in Norwegian Navy 24 men in Latvian Navy
Armament:	Penguin ship to ship missiles One 76mm Bofors TAK 76 cannon One 40mm Bofors L/60 cannon

The Storm class fast patrol boats (FPB) were a class of 20 vessels built for the Royal Norwegian Navy.

In Norwegian these boats were called missilkanonbåter (MKB) meaning boats with missiles and guns. They were operated by the Coastal Combat Flotilla together with the MTBs, or Missile Torpedo Boats. None of the boats are currently in service with the Royal Norwegian Navy. The design was Norwegian and all of the boats were built by Norwegian ship yards from 1965 to 1967.

The Storm class was designed by Lieutenant-Commander (later Captain) Harald Henriksen. The same man was also involved in the design of the Rapp-class MTB's - the first Norwegian-built MTB's. Later, he also designed the Snøgg- and Hauk-class MTB's. Henriksen's wife, Margot Henriksen, was godmother of the first KNM Skjold (P 963), delivered to the Norwegian navy in February 1966 from Westermoen yard in Mandal.

Norway donated a Storm class each to Estonia and Lithuania and three to Latvia in 1995. In the Lithuanian Navy, the exStorm class are designated the DZUKAS class, and in the Latvia Navy, the exStorms are were designated the Bulta class. Since the 1999 edition of The World Defence Almanac the Storm class has not been listed for the Estonian Navy.^[1]

At the end of the 1990s, two vessels were sold to Lithuania and three were sold to Latvia.^[2] A further three hulls may have been donated to each of the Baltic countries as spare parts.^[3]

The prototype Storm, completed May 31, 1963, was later scrapped and replaced by a second boat taking the same name and pennant number P960; the last of the class completed in 1968. After 1970 Penguin missiles were fitted to these boats in addition to the original armament.^[4]

Currently the Lithuanian Navy operates two Storm class boats, P32 "Sėlis" (transferred 2001) and P33 "Skalvis" (transferred 2001).^[5]

Vessels

PVL 105 Torm at a museum in Tallinn

The vessels are listed with their pennant numbers in RNoN service:

• • Arg P968 (1966-1991) Donated to Estonia. Served with the Estonian Border Guard as Torm, now part of the Estonian Maritime Museum.
  • Blink P961 Is on display, fully equipped at the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum in Horten, Norway.
  • Brann P970
  • Brask P977 Is on display on land at Haakonsvern Naval Base in Bergen.
  • Brott P974
  • Djerv P966 (1966-2000) Sold to the Latvian Navy and renamed LVNS Zibens.(decommissioned).
  • Glimt P962
  • Gnist P979 (1967-2000) Sold to the Latvian Navy and renamed LVNS Linga. (decommissioned)
  • Hvass P972 (1966-2000) Sold to the Latvian Navy and renamed LVNS Lode.(decommissioned).
  • Kjekk P965 (1966-2000) Donated to the Lithuanian Navy and renamed LNS P31 Dzūkas (decommissioned).
  • Odd P975
  • Pil P976 Previously used as a damage control and fire fighting training vessel. Placed on land at Haakonsvern Naval base.
  • Rokk P978
  • Skjold P963
  • Skudd P967 (1966-2000) Sold to the Lithuanian Navy and renamed LNS Sėlis.
  • Steil P969 (1967-2000) Sold to the Lithuanian Navy and renamed LNS Skalvis (decommissioned).
  • Storm P960
  • Traust P973 (1967-1994) Donated to the Latvian Navy and renamed LVNS Bulta.(decommissioned).
  • Tross P971
  • Trygg P964

Sources

1. World Defence Almanac 2010 ISSN 0722-3226
2. Jane's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 2008
3. Jane's Warship Recognition Guide, Robert Hutchison, Harper Collins 2002.
4. Jane's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1979-80
5. Lithuanian Navy web page on the patrol boats

• Information folder from Forsvarets rekrutterings- og mediesenter (Norwegian defence recruitment and media center) 1991/92
• Article about Norwegian-Baltic naval cooperation (Norwegian)
• LVNS Linga's home page

External links

• Nice photo of Brask on land with German, Danish, Polish and Norwegian FPB officers in front (Norwegian)

Royal Norwegian Navy patrol boat classes

HNoMS Rap 1873–1920 Rapp 1952–? Tjeld 1959–1992 Storm 1965–2000 Snøgg 1970–1994 Hauk 1979–2009 Skjold 1999–Present