HSwMS Gefle
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 Gefle, photo 1878 in Montevideo | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Sweden | |
| Name | Gefle |
| Builder | Karlskrona Yard |
| Launched | 1 December 1847 |
| Commissioned | 1848 |
| Out of service | 21 February 1890 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 1278 tons[1] |
| Length | 52.5 m (172.24 ft)[1] |
| Beam | 9.8 m (32.15 ft)[1] |
| Draft | 5.1 m (16.73 ft)[1] |
| Speed | 9 knots (16.67 km/h) (with engine)[1] |
| Complement | 169 men[1] |
| Armament |
|
HSwMS Gefle was a steam corvette of the Swedish Navy. She was one of the earliest steam-powered ships of the Swedish Navy, and the first equipped with a propeller. During her service years, Gefle was used on several long expeditions, including to the Mediterranean, West Africa and South America. In 1870, Gefle was dispatched to Le Havre to evacuate Swedish citizens after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. Admiral and marine artist Jacob Hägg served onboard Gefle early in his career. Gefle was removed from active service in 1890 and shortly thereafter broken up.
The parliament of Sweden, the Riksdag, decided during its session 1844–1845 to provide funding for a steam-powered, wooden naval ship equipped with a propeller designed by John Ericsson.[2] The resulting ship, HSwMS Gefle, was launched in 1847 and thus became one of the earliest warships of Sweden powered by a steam engine. Another steam-powered corvette, HSwMS Thor, predated Gefle by a few years, but was equipped with paddle wheels.[3] Gefle was also the first ship of the Swedish Navy equipped with a propeller, and one of the first naval ships in the world with a screw propeller.[2][3][4] The ship nonetheless still used sails as its main force of propulsion, and was rigged as a barque.[2][3]
