31st Corvette Division
Active Swedish Navy formation
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The 31st Corvette Division[a] is a Swedish Navy corvette division based in Blekinge County. It has been active since 2002 and was formerly active between 1993 and 1997. The division is headquartered at Karlskrona Garrison.
| 31st Corvette Division | |
|---|---|
| 31. korvettdivisionen | |
| |
| Active |
|
| Country |  Sweden |
| Branch |  Swedish Navy |
| Part of | 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla |
| Headquarters | Karlskrona Garrison |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Cdr John Theander |
History
The division was first established in 1993 as the 42nd Corvette Division consisting only of Malmö and Stockholm. In 1995, it was renamed to the 31st Corvette Division but was disbanded two years later. In 2002, the division was re-established under the same name.[1]
In 2019, a number of issues within the division were reported. The division faced a shortage of personnel, and there was a pressing need for both additional and modernised vessels, as the division's five ships were gradually assigned increasing responsibilities without a corresponding enhancement in operational capabilities.[2]
Although upgrades to the Visby-class corvettes used by the division were initially planned, the programme was later dropped in favour of constructing four new corvettes of the Luleå-class.[3] In 2025, following increased funding related to Sweden’s accession to NATO, the plan to upgrade the Visby-class corvettes was again approved.[4]
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Organisation
As of 2024, the peacetime organisation of the 31st Corvette Division is as follows:[5]
- 31st Corvette Division
The division is unique within the Swedish Navy in that it includes the only missile unit of its kind: the 311th Missile Unit, which operates highly mobile anti-ship missile systems primarily intended to support naval forces in engagements with other vessels.[6]
Commanders
- 2016–2017: Cdr Johan Norlén
- 2020–present: Cdr John Theander
Attributes
| Name | Translation | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42. korvettdivisionen | 42nd Corvette Division | 1993-01-01 | – | 1994-12-31 |
| 31. korvettdivisionen | 31st Corvette Division | 1995-01-01 | – | 1997-12-31 |
| 31. korvettdivisionen | 31st Corvette Division | 2002-01-01 | – | |
| Designation | From | To | ||
| 42. kvdiv | 1993-01-01 | – | 1994-12-31 | |
| 31. kvdiv | 1995-01-01 | – | 1997-12-31 | |
| 31. kvdiv | 2002-01-01 | – | ||
| Location | From | To | ||
| Karlskrona Naval Base | 1993-01-01 | – | 1997-12-31 | |
| Karlskrona Naval Base | 2002-01-01 | – |
Footnotes
- Swedish: 31. korvettdivisionen, pronounced [ˈtrɛtːɪuˌfœʂːta kɔrˈvɛtː dɪviˈsjuːnən]