Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment

Coordinates: 59°23′35″N 18°25′53″E / 59.39306°N 18.43139°E / 59.39306; 18.43139

Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment
Vaxholms kustartilleriregemente (KA 1)
Active	1902–2000
Country	Sweden
Allegiance	Swedish Armed Forces
Branch	Swedish Navy
Type	Coastal artillery
Size	Regiment
Part of	Milo Ö (1942–1991) Milo M (1991–2000)
Garrison/HQ	Rindö
March	"Honnör för Finska Gardet" by R. Arnoldsson (1902–1948) "Gardeskamrater" by S. Rydberg (1948–2000)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Håkan Syrén
Insignia
Insignia
Flag

Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment (Swedish: Vaxholms kustartilleriregemente), designation KA 1, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1902 and 2000. The unit was based at Rindö in the Stockholm archipelago in Uppland.

History

On 1 January 1902, the Swedish coastal artillery was established as a separate military branch in the Swedish Armed Forces, following a decision taken in May the previous year. The decision meant that Karlskrona Artillery Corps and Vaxholm Artillery Corps was disbanded and that a coastal artillery was established.^[1] The Vaxholm Artillery Corps was transferred to the coastal artillery and formed the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 1). The buildings, drawn by Erik Josephson, were completed in 1906. The barracks were completed already in 1904 and had three floors unlike the design which had four.^[2] Parts of KA 1 was placed at Vaxholm and it was not until the 1940s that the operations were collocated to eastern Rindö next to Oskar-Fredriksborg Fortress. KA 1 consisted of artillery companies, naval mine companies and yrkes (occupational) companies: an organization that was maintained until the 1940s. In 1941, the former buildings of the Vaxholm Grenadier Regiment (I 26) became a part of the KA 1. The part of the KA 1 that has been placed at the Vaxholm Fortress was instead placed in the former barracks of I 26.^[2]

In 1981 the regiment became subordinated to the Stockholm Coastal Artillery Defense (Stockholms kustartilleriförsvar, SK/Fo 46) and renamed Stockholm Coastal Artillery Defense with Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment (Stockholms kustartilleriförsvar med Vaxholms kustartilleriregemente, SK/KA 1). This organization was retained until SK was merge with East Coast Naval Command (Ostkustens marinkommando) in 1990.^[3] The regiment was renamed the Vaxholm Amphibious Regiment (Vaxholm amfibieregemente, Amf 1) in 2000, when parts of the coastal artillery was converted into the Swedish Amphibious Corps. Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment was disbanded on 31 October 2000.^[1]

Organisation

In 1956 the organization was as follows:^[4]

• Blocking battalion with battalion staff

1. Battalion (staff and military communications training)
2. Battalion (heavy naval artillery)
3. Battalion (light naval artillery)

• Naval mine battalion and battalion staff
• Naval Mine School

1. Minelayer division (mine and dive training)
2. Minelayer division (boat training)

• Close Combat School (Närförsvarsskolan) with school staff

1. Coastal Ranger Company
2. Coastal Ranger Company

Commanding officers

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vaxholms kustartilleriregemente.

• Ljungberg, Mauritz C:son (1982). "Kungl. Vaxholms kustartilleriregemente: några anteckningar om dess föregångare". Vaxholms fästnings museum (in Swedish). 1982(22),: 5–44 : ill. ISSN 0349-4802. LIBRIS 10256133.