The Stockholm class carried mines, depth charges, a 57 mm Bofors gun, anti-ship missiles, and torpedoes in a small sea-denial vessel. Limited size meant limited staying power, while anti-submarine capability answered a pressing Swedish requirement. S-363 and other submarine incidents reinforced the need to build that capability into the corvettes. Two Stockholm-class ships later contributed to a European Union task force off Somalia. Their contribution was useful, although their suitability for an operation outside their intended role is questioned. That deployment helps explain the argument for acquiring ships better suited to sustained missions.
Notable Point · 32:34-34:10
Stockholm corvettes: submarine defence and Somalia
Stockholm corvettes answered Swedish submarine-defence needs, while their useful Somalia deployment raised questions about sending small sea-denial ships on sustained distant operations.