The Plejad-class torpedo boat was a series of 17 first-class torpedo boats operated by the Swedish Navy during the first half of the 20th century. In the 1920s, the vessels were refitted as patrol boats and were decommissioned in the 1940s.
History During the turn of the 20th century, Sweden maintained a modern and powerful navy and regularly invested into the fleet to maintain an edge over other navies in the Baltic. The first ship in the class, HSwMS Plejad, was a prototype built at Le Havre in 1905. While the armament varied for the first three boats, the class was armed with two guns, two guns, and two torpedo tubes. Aside from Plejad, the class was built domestically in Sweden and built between 1907 and 1910. Other characteristics of the ships varied, such as displacement.
Starting 1926, the ships were served as patrol boats. The torpedo tubes were removed and replaced with minesweeping gear. Two years later, each ship was renamed followed by a unique number. Most of the vessels were stricken in the 1940s and disposed of over the next several years.
Ships in class +DataName (renamed)Launch dateStrickenBroken up Plejad (Vedettbåt nr 38) 19 June 1905 1930 – Castor (Vedettbåt nr 51) 24 April 1909 1940 1947 Pollux (Vedettbåt nr 52) 3 May 1909 1940 1947 Astrea (Vedettbåt nr 42) 1 October 1908 1947 Sunk 1953 Spica (Vedettbåt nr 41) 22 October 1908 1947 1951 Iris (Vedettbåt nr 39) 31 October 1908 1947 Sold 1958 Thetis (Vedettbåt nr 40) 19 September 1908 1947 Sunk (artillery target) Vega (Vedettbåt nr 53) 17 November 1910 1941 1948 Vesta (Vedettbåt nr 54) 24 November 1910 1941 1947 Altair (Vedettbåt nr 45) 5 June 1909 1941 1951 Argo (Vedettbåt nr 46) 19 September 1909 1940 1947 Antares (Vedettbåt nr 43) 11 June 1909 1947 1951 Arcturus (Vedettbåt nr 44) 26 July 1909 1947 1951 Perseus (Vedettbåt nr 48) 6 April 1910 1947 1951 Polaris (Vedettbåt nr 47) 1 December 1909 1947 1951 Regulus (Vedettbåt nr 49) 20 May 1910 1944 1946 Rigel (Vedettbåt nr 50) 6 April 1910 1944 1949 References