Østerhus Class Battleship
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MNS Østerhus (BB-37) as seen during her shakedown cruise in Skoria Bay, November 19th, 1943.
The Østerhus Class was a class of six fast battleships ordered by the Royal Mestran Navy in 1940. They were initially intended to intercept fast capital ships, such as the newer Secrazchaki BBs and Talmieran pocket battleships, while also being able to serve in the traditional battleline, to act as a possible "Fast Wing". Beginning in November 1943, four ships, Østerhus, Viken, Skoria, and Åndalstad, where completed; two more, Drøbak and Tårnlund, were laid down but construction was paused in 1942 and canceled in 1945. Drøbak would be sunk in 1959 as a reef ship and Tårnlund was scrapped in 1950.
Åndalstad would be sunk in 1948 during the Battle of the Nørreholm Islands, sinking due to Secrazchaki gunfire and aircraft attacks.
The 3 remaining ships would be the last Mestran battleships to be commissioned, as all older battleships were decommissioned by 1950 and struck from the NVR by 1958. From the mid-1940s to the early mid-2000s, the Østerhus battleships would fight in 3 wars, along with other small conflicts. In the Western Theater of World War II, they served as fast escorts for the Leydford Castle class aircraft carriers of the Fast Carrier Task Force, surface combatants during naval action, and shelling Secrazchaki coastal positions. During the Mestran-Virlannia War of 1950, the Østerhus' would shell Virlannian positions on the coast of the Thernern Sea, aswell as a partaking in a small naval engagement. Following the end of the war in early 1951, the Østerhus' would be decommissioned in 1955. Viken would be recommissioned in 1967, and would see action in the short lived Merchant war between Mestra and Helstorig, shelling Helstorig Army positions. All 3 ships would be reactived in 1989 and modernized in 1990, with new sensors and armament fitted, due to increased tensions with Virlannia. Østerhus and Skoria would see action in the 2007 Operation Snowstorm, firing 16" shells and LAM's on Northern Confederacy targets on the East coast.
Following the end of Operation Snowstorm, the Østerhus' would be decommissioned for the final time on June 30th, due to cost and being outdated. The last 2 ships would be struck from the NVR in 2007 (Viken was struck in 2000 due to costs) and released for donation to non-profit organizations. With Østerhus, Viken, and Skoria being transferred as museum ships as part of non-profit maritime museums across the coast of Mestra.
Armament (As Built) -
9x 16.54" (420mm) L/50 in 3x triple turrets
20x 5" (127mm) L/51 in 10x twin turrets
76x 40mm L/56 in 19 quadruple mounts
41x 20mm L/70 in 41 single mounts
4x 13.2mm L/50 in 2 twin mounts (Skoria and Åndalstad only)
Armament (1990 Modernization
9x 16.54" (420mm) L/50 in 3x triple turrets
12x 5" (127mm) L/51 in 6x twin mounts
36x LAGM-84M Pil launchers in 4x quadruple launchers
24x ASM-77M Trefork launchers in 6x quadruple launchers
4x 20mm LangtSkjold CIWS
Ships in class
MNS Østerhus (BB-37) - Decommissioned in 2007, converted to a museum ship in 2008
MNS Viken (BB-38) - Decommissioned in 2000, converted to a museum ship in 2012
MNS Skoria (BB-39) - Decommissioned in 2007, converted to a museum ship in 2009
MNS Åndalstad (BB-40) - Sunk during surface action, 1947
MNS Drøbak (BB-41) - Canceled in 1945, sunk as a reef ship in 1959
MNS Tårnlund (BB-42) - Canceled in 1945, scrapped in 1950
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