HNoMS Odin
Encyclopedia
HNoMS Odin was a Sleipner class
destroyer
that entered service with the Royal Norwegian Navy
in 1939. She and the other Sleipner class vessels were built as part of a Norwegian rearmament scheme in the last years leading up to the Second World War
. In 1940 she had taken part in protecting Norwegian neutrality, before being caught up in the German invasion of Norway
on 9 April 1940. After fighting the invasion forces at Kristiansand
, she was captured and pressed into Kriegsmarine
service for the duration of the war. After the end of the war, she was returned to Norway. In 1948 she and her surviving sister ships were converted to frigatesand remained in service until being sold for scrapping in 1959.
naval shipyard in Horten
with yard number 126, and was launched on on 24 January 1939.
sunk by the Polish
submarine
ORP Orzeł
near the small port of Lillesand
.
, against landing group four of the German invasion of Norway. When the battle at Kristiansand between the Kriegsmarine flotilla and Odderøya Fort began Odin steamed out into the Toppdalsfjord and opened up on attacking Luftwaffe
bombers with her Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
and two 12.7 mm anti-aircraft
machine gun
s. Continuous evasive manoeuvring saved the destroyer from being hit by the many bombs dropped at her and several hits were recorded on the attacking aircraft, although none were shot down. At about 0730hrs a twin-engined aircraft attacked the interned German U-boat
U-21
that was docked in Kristiansand harbour, having been seized by Norwegian warships for neutrality violations after running aground on the Oddene shallows near Mandal 27 March that year. U-21 had been docked in Kristiansand since 28 March. Odin fired at the aircraft, only to discover it was a RAF Lockheed Hudson
reconnaissance aircraft. Neither this time did the Odins fire bring her target down. At 1000hrs an order not to fire at British
and French forces came to the commander of Kristiansand. This order, combined with confusion of which flags were flown by the intruding warships, led to the German force being able to enter the harbour unopposed on their third attempt at 1030hrs. Odin was captured at Marvika naval station together with numerous other naval vessels in the Kristiansand area, including her sister ship .
as an escort
and training ship, in 1940 forming the 7. Torpedobootsflottille together with Gyller,, and from January 1942 as a torpedo recovery vessel in Gotenhafen
.
, Norway
, May 1945 and returned to the Royal Norwegian Navy
.
After three more years in Norway as a destroyer Odin was converted to a frigate
in 1948.
Odin and her sister ships was phased out and sold for scrapping in 1959
Sleipner class destroyer
The Sleipner class was a class of six destroyers built for the Royal Norwegian Navy from 1936 until the German invasion in 1940. The design was considered advanced for its time, and it was the first class of vessels for the Norwegian Navy that used aluminium in the construction of the bridge, the...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
that entered service with the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
in 1939. She and the other Sleipner class vessels were built as part of a Norwegian rearmament scheme in the last years leading up to the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1940 she had taken part in protecting Norwegian neutrality, before being caught up in the German invasion of Norway
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
on 9 April 1940. After fighting the invasion forces at Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, she was captured and pressed into Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
service for the duration of the war. After the end of the war, she was returned to Norway. In 1948 she and her surviving sister ships were converted to frigatesand remained in service until being sold for scrapping in 1959.
Construction
Odin was built at KarljohansvernKarljohansvern
Karjohansvern in Horten was the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy from 1819 to 1963.It was first called Hortens verft, and later Marinens Hovedværft until King Oscar I named it Carljohansværn værft in 1854...
naval shipyard in Horten
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
with yard number 126, and was launched on on 24 January 1939.
Second World War
After the outbreak of the Second World War Odin formed part of the 3rd destroyer section in the Kristiansand Defence Sector of the 1st Naval District.Rio de Janeiro
On 8 April 1940 she had taken part together with the guard ship Lyngdal in the rescue of the surviving sailors and soldiers from the 5,199 ton clandestine German troop transport Rio de JaneiroMS Rio de Janeiro (1914)
MS Rio de Janeiro was a German cargo ship, owned by the shipping company Hamburg Süd and home ported in Stettin. She was launched on 3 April 1914 as Santa Ines and later renamed Rio de Janeiro...
sunk by the Polish
Polish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
ORP Orzeł
ORP Orzeł
Three boats of the Polish Navy have been named ORP Orzeł :* ORP Orzeł was an commissioned in 1939 and lost in 1940.* ORP Orzeł was a commissioned in 1962 and decommissioned in 1983....
near the small port of Lillesand
Lillesand
is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand.-General information:...
.
Defending Kristiansand
The next morning, 9 April 1940, Odin took part in the defence of KristiansandKristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, against landing group four of the German invasion of Norway. When the battle at Kristiansand between the Kriegsmarine flotilla and Odderøya Fort began Odin steamed out into the Toppdalsfjord and opened up on attacking Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
bombers with her Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
and two 12.7 mm anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s. Continuous evasive manoeuvring saved the destroyer from being hit by the many bombs dropped at her and several hits were recorded on the attacking aircraft, although none were shot down. At about 0730hrs a twin-engined aircraft attacked the interned German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
U-21
German submarine U-21 (1936)
German submarine U-21 was a Type IIB U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.U-21 was assigned to 1st U-boat Flotilla, and carried out seven operational patrols. She sank six ships for a total of and damaged one warship. On 27 March 1940 U-21 ran aground off Oldknuppen Island...
that was docked in Kristiansand harbour, having been seized by Norwegian warships for neutrality violations after running aground on the Oddene shallows near Mandal 27 March that year. U-21 had been docked in Kristiansand since 28 March. Odin fired at the aircraft, only to discover it was a RAF Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
reconnaissance aircraft. Neither this time did the Odins fire bring her target down. At 1000hrs an order not to fire at British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and French forces came to the commander of Kristiansand. This order, combined with confusion of which flags were flown by the intruding warships, led to the German force being able to enter the harbour unopposed on their third attempt at 1030hrs. Odin was captured at Marvika naval station together with numerous other naval vessels in the Kristiansand area, including her sister ship .
German service as the Panther
After the German capture of Kristiansand Odin was handed over to the Kriegsmarine on 11 April and officially entered service as the Panther on 20 April. However, before entering the Kriegsmarine she was partially rebuilt and rearmed. During the remainder of the war she operated in Skagerak and KattegatKattegat
The Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
as an escort
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
and training ship, in 1940 forming the 7. Torpedobootsflottille together with Gyller,, and from January 1942 as a torpedo recovery vessel in Gotenhafen
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
.
Post-war RNoN service
After the end of the Second World War Panther/Odin was recovered in HolmestrandHolmestrand
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Holmestrad. The city was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The neighboring rural municipality of Botne was merged into the municipality of Holmestrand on 1 January...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, May 1945 and returned to the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
.
After three more years in Norway as a destroyer Odin was converted to a frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
in 1948.
Odin and her sister ships was phased out and sold for scrapping in 1959