HNoMS Heimdal OPV (1892)
The royal yacht Heimdal at Horten in July 1914
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| History | |
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.svg){kind=small}  Norway
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| Name: | Heimdal |
| Namesake: | Norse god Heimdall |
| Builder: | Akers Mek. verksted in Kristiania |
| Launched: | 1892 |
| Decommissioned: | 1946 |
| Renamed: | Rovena (1946) |
| Fate: | Sank 80 nm east of Langanes, Iceland 18 August 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 578 tons |
| Length: | 55 m (180.45 ft) |
| Beam: | 8.2 m (26.90 ft) |
| Draft: | 4.5 m (14.76 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 650 hp vertical triple expansion steam engine, 1 shaft |
| Speed: | 12 knots (22.22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 62 men |
| Armament: |
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| Notes: | All the above listed information, unless otherwise noted, was acquired from |
HNoMS Heimdal was a Norwegian warship built at Akers mekaniske verksted in Kristiania, Norway in 1892 with build number 137.
She was built to patrol Norwegian territorial waters and act as a rescue ship for sea travelers. Throughout her life she served in numerous roles; as a royal yacht (1892-1905, 1905-1908), command ship (1905),offshore patrol vessel and rescue ship (1892-1940), headquarters and depot ship (1940-1943), accommodation ship (1945-1946) and civilian cargo ship (1946-1947).
Heimdal spent most of her service life on the coasts of Finnmark and in the Arctic seas, with her first cruise from 30 September 1892 and her first Arctic patrol in April and May 1893.
She was named after Heimdall - the guardian of the Norse gods who will blow the Gjallarhorn if danger approaches Asgard.
In addition to her duties patrolling Norwegian waters Heimdal also served as a royal yacht. Her first voyage in this role took place when she took on board king Oscar II of Sweden and Norway for a cruise along the coast of Norway from 6 July to 4 August in 1896.
Heimdal's perhaps greatest moments of glory came after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden when she was chosen as the Royal Yacht of the recently elected Haakon VII - the first modern king of Norway.
When the new royal family arrived at Drøbak Sound in the Oslofjord 25 November 1905 on their way to their new country they transferred from the Danish royal yacht Dannebrog, which had brought them from Copenhagen, on to Heimdal for the last stretch to Oslo. As the royals came on board Heimdal they were greeted by prime minister Christian Michelsen and his cabinet. It was when Haakon, Maud and Olav stepped off Heimdal at Vippetangen wharf near Akershus Fortress that the Norwegian people got their first chance to see their new royals. After the new royal family had disembarked the prime minister held a short welcome speech.
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Wikipedia