HSwMS Valen (1925)

History
Sweden
NameValen
BuilderKarlskrona Navy Yard
Laid down1923
Launched5 May 1925
Commissioned4 September 1925
FateStricken 6 October 1944
General characteristics
TypeMine-laying submarine
Displacement
  • Surfaced: 548 tons
  • Submerged: 730 tons
Length57.10 m (187 ft 4 in)
Beam7.11 m (23 ft 4 in)
Draft3.10 m (10 ft 2 in)
Speed
  • Surfaced: 14.8 knots (27.4 km/h; 17.0 mph)
  • Submerged: 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph)
Complement31
Armament
  • 4 × 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes
  • 1 × 75 mm (3.0 in) anti-air gun
  • 1 × 25 mm (0.98 in) anti-air gun
  • 10 × minelaying tubes
  • 20 × naval mines

HSwMS Valen was the first mine-laying submarine of the Swedish Navy and the only boat of her class. Her design was based on the earlier Bävern-class submarine, itself a derivative of the German Type UB-III U-boat. She was laid down in 1923 and commissioned in 1925 and had an uneventful service life. By World War II, her design was used to build six more modern mine-laying boats, and she was stricken in 1944.