At the outbreak of World War II, Gustaf V was the flagship of the Coastal Fleet. On the night of 17 July 1940 during an exercise west of Gotland one of the boilers exploded. Eight people in the boiler room were killed instantly, and two people who were on the deck near one of the air intakes were badly injured. These two were taken by a minelayer to Visby Hospital, where they later died. Gustaf V then went to the mainland, and at Hårsfjärden the commanding admiral and his staff moved to HSwMS Sverige, which then served as flagship during the remainder of the war. After the explosion Gustaf V was taken to Stockholm's naval yards for repair. After one month the ship was able to return to service. After the Second World War, Gustaf V participated in a ceremony in Stockholm when King Gustaf V thanked the Navy for their vigilant guard during the war years. The ship then returned to Karlskrona, where the ship was modernized with the installation of a new radar facility. When HSwMS Sverige was taken out of active service with the Coastal Fleet in 1947, Gustaf V took over the role of the Swedish flagship once again. Disposal Gustaf V was released from the fleet on 1 April 1957. She was supposed to be released to Karlskrona, however she lay at Berga Naval Base, south of Stockholm through the year 1967. While there she was used as a mooring point for destroyers and smaller ships. Two of the ship's 15.2 cm cannons were moved after the erection of the Kalix Line in Norrbotten, where they were used as fortified cannon at Häggmansberget. In 1970 she was sold for scrapping in Gothenburg. Captains 1923–1924 – Daniel Tiselius 1926–1927 – Nils Åkerblom 1932–1935 – Lave Beck-Friis 1944–1945 – Henning Hammargren Notes References Notes Print External links Sverige-class coastal defence ships Ships built in Malmö 1918 ships Maritime incidents in 1933