Vale-class gunboat
History
Norway
Name	Vidar
Namesake	Víðarr – Norse vengeance god and son of Odin and the giantess Gríðr
Builder	Karljohansverns Verft Naval Yard in Horten
Launched	1878
Commissioned	1878
Decommissioned	1947
General characteristics
Class and type	Vale-class Rendel gunboat
Displacement	260 tons
Length	28 m (91 ft 10 in)
Propulsion	220 hp steam engine
Speed	8.5 knots (15.74 km/h)
Complement	41 (31 after rebuild)
Armament	As built: 1 × 21 cm (10.5 inch) RML gun 1 × 1pdr (cm / inch) QF gun 1 × 1pdr (cm / inch) revolving gun After rebuild: 1 × 12 cm (4.72 inch) gun 1 × 47 mm (1.85 inch) 2 × 37 mm (1.46 inch) guns 50 mines

HNoMS Vidar was a Vale-class Rendel gunboat built for the Royal Norwegian Navy at Horten Naval Yard in 1878. She was one of a class of five gunboats - the other ships in the class were Vale, Brage, Nor and Uller.

Vidar was, in addition to the heavy, muzzle-loading main gun, armed with a small 'Quick Fire' gun and a 37mm Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon (broadly similar to the Gatling gun).

Later Vidar, like her sister ships, was rebuilt as a minelayer, and she served in this role when the Germans invaded in 1940. During the Norwegian Campaign she served mainly in Sognefjorden. She was captured by German forces on 14 April 1940, and returned to Norway after the war.

Vidar was built at the Naval Yard at Horten, and had yard number 60.

External links

• Naval history via Flix: KNM Vale, retrieved 27 Feb 2006