HNoMS Gyller

The "Sleipner" class destroyer HNoMS "Gyller" was commissioned into the Royal Norwegian Navy 7 July 1938 and remained in Norwegian service until the outbreak of the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940. She was constructed at Horten naval shipyard and had build number 125. [Horten municipal archive of local history: [http://www.lokalhistoriskarkiv.no/arkivet/historiske_sider/horten_verft/byggenummer Build numbers at Horten yard] no icon] Gyller had four torpedo tubes, instead of the two which were standard in the rest of her class.

Name

She was named after one of the twelve horses of the Æsir - the principal Norse gods.

Early RNoN service

Neutrality protection

"Gyller" spent the early part of World War II in the far north of Norway, protecting Norway's neutrality during the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. During her deployment in North Norway she patrolled Norwegian territorial waters and repeatedly had to sink Soviet naval mines that had broken their moorings and drifted into Norwegian waters. During the Winter War all three of the "Sleipner" class destroyers commissioned at the time ("Æger", "Gyller" and "Sleipner") were deployed to different ports in Finnmark, with "Gyller" based in Kirkenes. [Johannesen 1988: 90-98]

When the Germans invaded Norway she formed part of the 3rd destroyer section in the Kristiansand Defence Sector of the 1st Naval District. [ [http://niehorster.orbat.com/022_norway/navy_kristiansand.html Administrative Order of Battle for the Royal Norwegian Navy 8 April 1940] en icon]

Battle of Kristiansand

When the invasion came "Gyller" was docked at Kristiansand and got her first warning of the war in the form of gunfire from Odderøya Fort against the attacking German landing force number four. Gyller immediately opened up on attacking Luftwaffe bombers with her single Bofors 40 mm gun and two Colt 12,7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns and avoided several bombs dropped against her. After receiving an orientation on the situation from the fort commander "Gyller" steamed out to the harbour entrance and swung out her torpedo tubes to confront any intruder. However, 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 1030 hrs. At this time "Gyller" was docked at Tollbodbrygga wharf to refill her water tanks for the oncoming battle and was seized without a fight. "Gyller" was captured together with numerous other naval vessels in the Kristiansand area, including her sistership HNoMS "Odin". [Berg 1997: 19] Before entering the Kriegsmarine she was partially rebuilt and rearmed.

German service as the "Löwe"

In Kriegsmarine service she was renamed the "Löwe" (German: "Lion") and first served as a convoy escort with the 7. T-flotilla in Skagerak and Kattegat, then as a training ship and finally as a torpedo recovery vessel in Gotenhafen for the rest of the war.

Escort for the "Wilhelm Gustloff"

"Löwe" was the single warship accompanying the evacuation ship "Wilhelm Gustloff" at the time it was torpedoed and sunk by the Soviet submarine S-13 30 January 1945. [Wilhelmgustloff.com: [http://www.wilhelmgustloff.com/sinking.htm Sinking] en icon] "Löwe" managed to rescue 472 of the military and civilian passengers, with other German vessels rescuing another 780. [Feldgrau.com: [http://www.feldgrau.com/wilhelmgustloff.html "Wilhelm Gustloff] en icon]

Post-war RNoN service

After the end of World War II the "Löwe"/"Gyller" was found in Flensburg, Germany, May 1945 and returned the Royal Norwegian Navy.

After three more years in Norway as a destroyer "Gyller" was converted to a frigate in 1948.

"Gyller" was phased out and sold for scrapping in 1959

Notes

Literature

* Abelsen, Frank: "Norwegian naval ships 1939-1945", Sem & Stenersen AS, Oslo 1986 ISBN 82-7046-050-8 en icon&no icon
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ee also

* List of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons