In the beginning of the 20th century the Swedish Riksdag (the government) decided that the Swedish Navy should have its first submarine. A few years later Hajen saw the light of day in the Stockholm Shipyard. A droplet -shaped creation equipped with an electric motor for underwater operation and a paraffin engine to charge the batteries.

Hajen’s only weapons were three torpedoes. A tall story, which might well be true, relates that the captain used to sleep in the torpedo tube. This reveals quite a bit about the comforts onboard the Swedish Navy’s first submarine, which required an 18-man crew.

Submarine, or?

Although called a submarine, Hajen 1 is not really an underwater craft in the true sense of the word. She is more of a diving ship since she can only stay underwater for a few minutes at a time.

This heirloom can be viewed today outside the Naval Museum in Karlskrona. A small but important part of the Swedish Navy history.