View source for Coastal defence ship

{{short description|Warships built for the purpose of coastal defense.}}
{{for|the coastal defence ships of Japan|Kaibōkan}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}

[[Image:Väinämöinen.jpg|thumb|300px|The Finnish coastal defence ship {{ship|Finnish coastal defence ship|Väinämöinen||2}}, one of the last examples of the type.]]

'''Coastal defence ships''' (sometimes called '''coastal battleships''' or '''coast defence ships''') were [[warship]]s built for the purpose of [[Littoral (military)|coastal]] defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often [[cruiser]]-sized warships that sacrificed speed and range for [[armour]] and [[armament]]. They were usually attractive to nations that either could not afford full-sized [[battleship]]s or could be satisfied by specially designed shallow-draft vessels capable of [[littoral]] operations close to their own shores. The [[Nordic countries]] and [[Thailand]] found them particularly appropriate for their island-dotted coastal waters. Some vessels had limited [[Blue-water navy|blue-water]] capabilities; others operated in [[Maritime geography#Riverine|rivers]].

The coastal defence ships differed from earlier [[Monitor (warship)|monitors]] by having a higher [[Freeboard (nautical)|freeboard]] and usually possessing both higher speed and a secondary armament; some examples also mounted [[casemate]]d guns (monitors' guns were almost always in turrets).  They varied in size from around 1,500&nbsp;tons to 8,000&nbsp;tons.

Their construction and appearance was often that of miniaturized [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s.  As such, they carried heavier armour than cruisers or gunboats of equivalent size, were typically equipped with a main armament of two or four heavy and several lighter guns in turrets or casemates, and could steam at a higher speed than most monitors. In service they were mainly used as movable [[coastal artillery]] rather than instruments of sea control or fleet engagements like the battleships operated by blue-water navies. Few of these ships saw combat in the [[First World War]], though some did in the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The last were scrapped in the 1970s.{{refn|group=note|{{ship|HSwMS|Gustaf V}} was scrapped in 1970}}

Navies with coastal defence ships serving as their main [[capital ship]]s included those of [[Denmark]], [[Ecuador]], [[Finland]], the [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]], [[Portugal]], [[Sweden]], Thailand, and the British colonies of [[British Raj|India]] and [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]. Some nations which at one time or another built, bought, or otherwise acquired their own front-line capital ships, such as [[Argentina]], [[Austria-Hungary]], [[Brazil]], [[Qing Dynasty|China]], [[Germany]], [[Russia]], and [[Spain]], also deployed this type of warship, with Russia using [[Admiral Ushakov-class coastal defense ship|three]] at the [[Battle of Tsushima]] in 1905.

Apart from specially built coastal defence ships, some navies used various obsolescent ships in this role. The [[Royal Navy]] deployed four {{Sclass|Majestic|battleship|1}}s as [[Guard ship|guardships]] in [[Humber|the Humber]] at the start of the First World War. Similarly, the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] redesignated the {{Sclass|Indiana|battleship|5}} and {{USS|Iowa|BB-4|2}} classes as "Coast Defense Battleships" in 1919. Such ships tended to be near the end of their service lives and while generally considered no longer fit for front-line service, they were still powerful enough for defensive duties in [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] situations.

==Categorization==
This type of vessel has always been categorized differently by different countries, due to treaties, differences in judgments related to design or intended roles, and also national pride. In the [[United Kingdom]] the Scandinavian ships were known as "coast defence ships". The Germans called these ships ''Küstenpanzerschiff'' ("coastal armoured ship").<ref>Albert Röhr:''Handbuch der deutschen Marinegeschichte''. Publisher Gerhard Stalling. Oldenburg/Hamburg 1963. p. 161</ref> The Danes referred to their ships as ''Kystforsvarsskib'' ("coast defence ship") and ''Panserskib'' ("armoured ship"). In Norway they were referred to as ''panserskip'' ("armoured ship"). The Dutch called their ships ''Kruiser'' ("cruiser"), ''Pantserschip'' ("armoured ship") or ''Slagschip'' ("battleship"). The Swedish term for these ships was initially ''1:a klass Pansarbåt'' ("1st class armoured boat") and later ''Pansarskepp'' ("armoured ship"). Note however, that the German ''Panzerschiffe'' of the [[Deutschland-class cruiser|''Deutschland'' class]] were not designed as coastal defense ships but as high seas raiders.

As an example of the profusion of terms and classifications which often contradicted each other, the 1938 edition of ''[[Jane's Fighting Ships]]'' lists the Swedish ''Pansarskepp'' of the ''Sverige'' class as battleships.

==Swedish ''Pansarskepp''==
[[Image:HMS Gustav V after 1930.JPG|thumb|300px|[[HSwMS Gustaf V|Gustaf V]] in 1930 after refit and merged funnels.]]
The Swedish ''Pansarskepp'' were an outgrowth of the earlier Swedish adoption of the [[monitor (warship)|monitor]] and were used for similar duties.

===Technical details===
The ''Pansarskepp'' or ''Pansarbåt'', with the notable exception of the {{Sclass|Sverige|coastal defence ship|4}}, were relatively small vessels with limited speed, shallow draft, and very heavy guns relative to the displacement. They were designed for close in-shore work in the littoral zone of Scandinavia, and other countries with shallow coastal waters. The aim was to outgun any ocean-going warship of the same draft by a significant margin, making it a very dangerous opponent for a cruiser, and deadly to anything smaller. The limitations in speed and seaworthiness were a trade-off for the heavy armament carried. Vessels similar to the Swedish ''Pansarskepp'' were also built and operated by Denmark, Norway, and Finland, all of which had similar naval requirements.

===Effectiveness===
The ''Sverige''-class ships differed in several ways from the classical coastal defence ship, having heavier armament as well as better speed and armor (while still being small enough to operate and hide in the [[archipelago]]s and shallow waters off Sweden). The main difference was to be noted in their tactical doctrine and operations. Unlike other coastal defence ships the ''Sverige'' class formed the core of a traditional open-sea battle group ([[Coastal Fleet]]), operating with cruisers, [[destroyer]]s, [[torpedo boat]]s, and air reconnaissance in conformance with traditional battleship tactics of the time.

This “mini-battle group” had no intention of challenging the great power navies in blue-water battles, but rather were to operate as a defensive shield to aggression challenging Swedish interests and territory. Based on the doctrine that one needs a battle group to challenge other battle groups, this force intended to form a problematic obstacle in the confined and shallow [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] and [[Kattegat]] theatre, where traditional large warships would be limited to very predictable moving patterns exposing them to submarines, fast torpedo craft, and minefields. It has been suggested that the ''Sverige''-class ships were one reason why Germany did not invade Sweden during World War II. Such speculation appeared in ''Warship Magazine Annual 1992'' in the article "The Sverige Class Coastal Defence Ships," by Daniel G. Harris. This could be said to have been partly confirmed in the post war publication of German tactical orders, and of scenarios regarding attacking Sweden. The problems of maintaining an army in Sweden without sea superiority were emphasized, and the lack of available suitable units to face the Swedish navy was pointed out (“Stations for battle”, Insulander/Olsson, 2001). Summarizing the question of effectiveness for the ''Sverige'' class, it is likely that despite a good armament they would have been too small, slow, and cramped (from both a habitability and essential ship's stores standpoint), along with having insufficient range, to perform adequately against any traditional battlecruiser or battleship in a blue-water scenario; however, if correctly used in their home waters and in a defensive situation, they would probably have presented a major challenge for any aggressor.

==Dutch ''Pantserschepen''==
The Dutch used their armoured ships mainly to defend their interests overseas, in particular their colonial possessions in the [[West Indies]] (the islands of the [[Netherlands Antilles]]) and the [[Dutch East Indies|East Indies]] (primarily, modern [[Indonesia]]). For this reason the ships had to be capable of long-range cruising, providing artillery support during [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious operations]], and carrying the troops and equipment needed in these operations. At the same time, these ships had to be armed and armoured well enough to face contemporary [[Cruiser#Pre-dreadnought armoured cruisers|armoured cruisers]] of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (the Netherlands' most likely enemy in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]]), and as such they were expected to act as mini-battleships rather than strictly as coastal defence vessels.

The last Dutch ''pantserschip'', [[HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (1909)|HNLMS ''De Zeven Provinciën'']], was built in 1909 as a stop-gap measure while the Dutch Admiralty and government contemplated an ambitious fleet plan comprising [[Dutch 1913 battleship proposal|a number of dreadnought battleships]]. This ambition was never realized due to the outbreak of the [[First World War]]. The [[Second World War]] put an end to a similar project to obtain fast capital ships in the late 1930s with German assistance.

Prior to the Second World War, the Dutch had relegated all the surviving ''pantserschepen'' to secondary duties. The [[Axis powers]], who seized some of the ships following the [[Netherlands in World War II#Dutch surrender|conquest of the Netherlands]], converted several of those ships to serve as floating anti-aircraft batteries and subsequently utilized some as [[block ship]]s.

==Operators==
The navies of the following countries have operated coastal defence ships at some point in time.

[[File:Brassey1899x4.jpg|thumb|Side and top views of ''ARA Independencia'' in Brassey's 1899 edition]]

===Argentina===
* {{Sclass|El Plata|monitor|4}} (1874)
** [[ARA El Plata (1874)|''El Plata'']]
** [[ARA Los Andes|''Los Andes'']]
* {{Sclass|Libertad|battleship|4}} (1890)
** [[ARA Independencia (1891)|''Independencia'']]
** [[ARA Libertad (1892)|''Libertad'']]

===Austria-Hungary===
[[File:Monarch-class.jpg|thumb|Right elevation and plan of the ''Monarch'' class; the shaded area is armored]]
* {{Sclass|Monarch|coastal defense ship|4}} (1895)
** {{SMS|Monarch}}
** {{SMS|Wien}}
** {{SMS|Budapest}}

===Brazil===
* {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Barroso||2}}
* {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Brasil||2}}
* {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Lima Barros||2}}
* {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Rio de Janeiro||2}}
* {{ship|Brazilian monitor|Bahia||2}}
* {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Silvado||2}}
* {{Sclass|Mariz e Barros|ironclad|4}} (1866)
** {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Mariz e Barros||2}}
** {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Herval||2}}
* {{Sclass|Cabral|ironclad|4}} (1866)
** {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Cabral||2}}
** {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Colombo||2}}
* {{ship|Brazilian ironclad|Sete de Setembro||2}} (1874)
* {{Sclass|Javary|monitor|4}} (1874)
** {{ship|Brazilian monitor|Javary|1874|2}}
** {{ship|Brazilian monitor|Solimões|1875|2}}
* {{Sclass|Marshal Deodoro|coastal defence ship|4}} (1898)
** {{ship|Brazilian coastal defense ship|Deodoro||2}} - Sold to Mexico in 1924 as ''Anáhuac''
** {{ship|Brazilian coastal defense ship|Floriano||2}}

===China===
* {{ship|Chinese gunboat|Pingyuan||2}} (1888)

===Denmark===
[[image:Niels Juel (1918).jpg|thumb|HDMS ''Niels Juel'' in 1939]]
* [[HDMS Helgoland (1878)|''Helgoland'']]
* [[HDMS Iver Hvitfeldt (1886)|''Iver Hvitfeldt'']]
* [[HDMS Skjold (1896)|''Skjold'']]
* {{Sclass|Herluf Trolle|coastal defence ship|4}} (1899)
** [[HDMS Herluf Trolle (1899)|''Herluf Trolle'']]
** [[HDMS Olfert Fischer (1903)|''Olfert Fischer'']]
** [[HDMS Peder Skram (1908)|''Peder Skram'']]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milhist.dk/weapons/shipdata/skram_1908.htm|title=Den Danske Brigade 1947|work=milhist.dk|access-date=19 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929094234/http://www.milhist.dk/weapons/shipdata/skram_1908.htm|archive-date=29 September 2007|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
* [[HDMS Niels Juel (1918)|''Niels Juel'']]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milhist.dk/besattelsen/9april/nelsjul.html|title=Den Danske Brigade 1947|work=milhist.dk|access-date=19 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927034544/http://www.milhist.dk/besattelsen/9april/nelsjul.html|archive-date=27 September 2007|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Finland===
[[File:Väinämöinen 1938.jpg|thumb|''Väinämöinen'' in 1938]]
* {{Sclass|Väinämöinen|coastal defence ship|0}} ''Panssarilaiva'' ships (1931)
** {{ship|Finnish coastal defence ship|Ilmarinen||2}}
** {{ship|Finnish coastal defence ship|Väinämöinen||2}} - transferred to Soviet Union as a reparations ship in 1947, served in Soviet Navy until 1966.

===France===
* {{ship|French ironclad|Taureau||2}}
* [[USS Onondaga (1863)|''Onondaga'']]
* {{Sclass|Cerbère|ironclad|5}}
**{{ship|French ironclad|Bélier||2}}
** {{ship|French ironclad|Bouledogue||2}}
** {{ship|French ironclad|Cerbère||2}}
** {{ship|French ironclad|Tigre||2}}
* {{Sclass|Tonnerre|ironclad|5}}
**{{ship|French ironclad|Tonnerre||2}}
** {{ship|French ironclad|Fulminant||2}}
* {{Sclass|Tempête|ironclad|5}}
**{{ship|French ironclad|Tempête||2}}
** {{ship|French ironclad|Vengeur|1872|2}}
* {{ship|French ironclad|Tonnant||2}}
* {{ship|French ironclad|Furieux||2}}
* {{Sclass|Jemmapes|ironclad|4}} 6,476 tons.<ref name=Conways1860>Chesneau, Roger and Kolesnik, Eugene (Ed.) Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905''. Conway Maritime Press, 1979. {{ISBN|0-8317-0302-4}}</ref>
** {{ship|French ironclad|Jemmapes||2}} (1892) – hulked 1911.<ref name=Conways1860/>
** {{ship|French ironclad|Valmy||2}} (1892) – stricken 1911.<ref name=Conways1860/>
* {{Sclass|Bouvines|ironclad|4}} 6,681 tons.<ref name=Conways1860/>
** {{ship|French ironclad|Amiral Tréhouart||2}} (1893) – stricken 1922.<ref name=Conways1860/>
** {{ship|French ironclad|Bouvines||2}} (1892) – stricken 1920.<ref name=Conways1860/>
* {{ship|French battleship|Henri IV||2}}

===Germany===
[[File:SMS Siegfried line color.png|thumb|right|Line-drawing of ''Siegfried'' as originally configured]]
{{main|List of coastal defense ships of Germany}}
* {{Sclass|Siegfried|coastal defense ship|4}} (1890)
** {{SMS|Siegfried||2}}
** {{SMS|Beowulf||2}}
** {{SMS|Frithjof||2}}
** {{SMS|Hagen||2}}
** {{SMS|Heimdall||2}}
** {{SMS|Hildebrand||2}}
* {{Sclass|Odin|coastal defense ship|4}} (1896)
** {{SMS|Odin||2}}
** {{SMS|Ägir||2}}

===India===
[[File:Cerberus (AWM 300036).jpg|thumb|HMVS ''Cerberus'' at [[Williamstown, Victoria|Williamstown]] in 1871]]
* {{Sclass|Cerberus|monitor|4}} (1870)
** {{HMS|Magdala|1870|2}}
** {{HMS|Abyssinia|1870|2}} (half-sister to ''Cerberus'' & ''Magdala'')

===British Colony of Victoria===
* {{Sclass|Cerberus|monitor|4}}
** {{ship|HMVS|Cerberus||6}}

===Mexico===
* {{sclass|Deodoro|coastal defense ship|4}} (1898)
** [[Brazilian coastal defense ship Deodoro|ARM ''Anáhuac'']] - acquired from Brazil in 1924

===The Netherlands===
[[File:Koningin Regentes (1900) plan.jpg|thumb|Plan and side view of the ''Koningin Regentes'' class]]
* {{Sclass|Evertsen|coastal defence ship|4}} (1894)
** {{HNLMS|Evertsen|1894|6}}
** {{HNLMS|Piet Hein|1894|6}}
** {{HNLMS|Kortenaer|1894|6}}
* {{Sclass|Koningin Regentes|coastal defense ship|4}} (1900)
** {{HNLMS|Koningin Regentes}}
** {{HNLMS|De Ruyter|1901|6}}
** {{HNLMS|Hertog Hendrik}}
* {{ship|HNLMS|Marten Harpertzoon Tromp|1904|6}}
* {{ship|HNLMS|Jacob Van Heemskerck|1906|6}}
* {{ship|HNLMS|De Zeven Provinciën|1909|6}}

===Norway===
[[File:KNM Tordenskjold.png|thumb|Norwegian ''Tordenskjold'' class]]
* {{Sclass|Tordenskjold|coastal defence ship|4}} (1897)
** {{ship|HNoMS|Tordenskjold||6}}
** {{ship|HNoMS|Harald Haarfagre||6}}
* {{Sclass|Eidsvold|coastal defence ship|4}} (1899)
** {{ship|HNoMS|Eidsvold||6}}
** {{ship|HNoMS|Norge||6}}
* {{Sclass|Bjørgvin|coastal defence ship|4}} (1914) – Both ships were requisitioned by the Royal Navy during World War I while under construction, completed and served as the monitors {{HMS|Glatton|1914|6}} and {{HMS|Gorgon|1914|6}}
** {{ship|HNoMS|Bjørgvin||6}}
** {{ship|HNoMS|Nidaros||6}}

===Russia===
[[File:AdmiralUshakov1897Kronstadt.jpg|thumb|''Admiral Ushakov '' in 1897]]
* {{Sclass|Uragan|monitor|4}} (1865)
* ''Novgorod class'' (1874) – later reclassified as "Coastal Defence Armour-Clad Ships"
** {{ship|Russian monitor|Novgorod||2}}
** {{ship|Russian monitor|Vitse-admiral Popov||2}}
* {{Sclass|Admiral Ushakov|coastal defense ship|4}} (1895)
** {{ship|Russian coast defense ship|Admiral Ushakov||2}}
** {{ship|Russian coast defense ship|Admiral Seniavin||2}}
** {{ship|Russian coast defense ship|General Admiral Graf Apraksin||2}} - Captured by Japan in 1905, served in Imperial Japanese Navy until 1922.

===Sweden===
[[File:Sverige class diagrams Brasseys 1923.jpg|thumb|Right elevation and deck plan of ''Sverige'' as depicted in [[Brassey's Naval Annual]], 1923]]
* {{Sclass|Svea|coastal defence ship|4}} (1886)
** {{HSwMS|Svea||2}}
** {{HSwMS|Göta||2}}
** {{HSwMS|Thule|1893|2}}
* {{Sclass|Oden|coastal defence ship|4}} (1896)
** {{HSwMS|Oden||2}}
** {{HSwMS|Thor|1898|2}}
** {{HSwMS|Niord||2}}
* {{HSwMS|Dristigheten||2}} (1900)
* {{Sclass|Äran|coastal defence ship|4}} (1902)
** {{HSwMS|Äran||2}}
** {{HSwMS|Wasa|1901|2}}
** {{HSwMS|Tapperheten|1901|2}}
** {{HSwMS|Manligheten||2}}
* ''[[HSwMS Oscar II|Oscar II]]'' (1905)
* {{Sclass|Sverige|coastal defence ship|4}} (1917)
** {{HSwMS|Sverige||2}}
** {{HSwMS|Gustav V||2}}
** {{HSwMS|Drottning Victoria||2}}

===Thailand===
[[File:HTMS Thonburi in Yokohama.jpg|thumb|''Thonburi'' in 1938]]
* {{Sclass|Rattanakosindra|gunboat|4}}
** ''Ratanakosin''
** ''Sukhothai''
* {{Sclass|Thonburi|coastal defence ship|4}} (1938)
** {{ship|HTMS|Sri Ayudhya||6}}
** {{ship|HTMS|Thonburi||6}}


==See also==
* [[List of coastal defence ships of the Second World War]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Coastal defence ships}}

{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries}}

[[Category:Coastal defence ships| ]]
[[Category:Ship types]]