The ''Tapper'' class are a class of

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...

s in service with the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy () is the maritime service branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet (), formally sometimes referred to as the Royal Navy () – as well as marine units, the Amph ...

since the 1990s (the word "tapper" means "brave" in Swedish).

Design

''Tapper''-class boats' first function is to protect and patrol the Swedish coastal waters. Their armament includes 12.7 mm heavy machine guns,

anti-submarine rocket An anti-submarine rocket is an anti-submarine weapon type deployed on surface warships for the purpose of sinking or damaging submarines by small explosive charges. They are similar to anti-submarine mortar but a comparably more modern system. T ...

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...

s and

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...

s. Because of their small size of and

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of 62 tons. these patrol boats can operate in extremely shallow water. These patrol boats have a crew of eight sailors - consisting of four officers and four ratings. Further, they can accommodate ten passengers.

History

From 1993 to 1999 a total of twelve ships were constructed and entered service with the

and amphibious corps. The class was set to be retired in 2014 but after the Russian intervention in Ukraine and Russian military build-up in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, it was decided that the boats would remain in service and be modified as well. In 2020 the first six boats of the class had a comprehensive overhaul and upgrade program in which they were equipped - among other things - with the

Kongsberg Maritime Kongsberg Maritime (KM) is a Norwegian technology enterprise within the Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG). Kongsberg Maritime deliver systems for positioning, surveying, navigation, and automation to merchant vessels and offshore installations. Their most ...

sonar for

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

Ships in class

References

External links

Bevakningsbåt 88 (General information about the Tapper-class patrol boat)
''Försvarsmakten''
Swedish navy upgrades Tapper-class patrol boat with ASW capability
''GLOBAL DEFENSE CORP''
First of six Tapper-class Patrol Boats re-joins Swedish Navy Following ASW Upgrade
''NAVALNEWS''
FMV Delivers 5th Upgraded Tappe-class Patrol Boat to the Swedish Navy
'NAVALNEWS'' {{Authority control Patrol boat classes Patrol vessels of the Swedish Navy