Hårsfjärden disaster

The destroyer HSwMS Klas Uggla in flames during the Hårsfjärden disaster.

The Hårsfjärden disaster was an event in the Swedish Navy during World War II. A series of accidental explosions, it caused by far the worst damage to Swedish Navy units during the era of that war, in which Sweden was not a combatant.

The disaster occurred on 17 September 1941.[1] Three Swedish Navy destroyers were berthed in Hårsfjärden fjord near Stockholm when the torpedoes[2] or oil tanks[3] of HSwMS Göteborg exploded; flames then also enveloped Klas Horn and Klas Uggla in an inferno.[2][4]

The three destroyers were sunk,[4] and thirty-three sailors killed, a major blow to the Swedish Navy. All three ships were later raised. Klas Uggla never again saw service; the other two ships did, after repairs.[2][1]

An investigation into possible sabotage commenced. A theory emerged that the cause was a bomb dropped accidentally by a Swedish plane on training maneuvers, and other theories were advanced. But the cause was never established.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Adrian English (May 2012). "The Swedish Navy". Maritime History and Archaeology. Histarmar Foundation. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Tursten, Helene (2015). The Treacherous Net (An Irene Huss Investigation). Translated by Marlaine Delargy. Soho Crime. p. 85. ISBN 978-1616954024. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ "---". Newsweek. Vol. 18. September 1941. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Gilmour, John (2011). Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin: The Swedish experience in the Second World War. Societies at War. Edinburgh University Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0748627479. Retrieved February 11, 2016.

Further reading

  • Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. p. 249. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Conway Maritime Press. p. 372. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
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