In 1908, the Royal Danish Navy decided to acquire several torpedo boats, with two of the world's leading torpedo boat specialists, the German shipyard Schichau-Werke and the British shipyard Yarrows, each contracted to design and build a prototype torpedo boat, with two more torpedo boats of each design to be built under license in Danish shipyards.
Schichau's design, the Tumleren class, were 56m (184feet) long overall and 54m (177feet) length between perpendiculars, with a beam of 6m (20feet) and a draught of 2.3m (07.5feet) fully loaded. Displacement was 282LT full load. Two coal-fed boilers supplied steam for two Schichau direct-drive steam turbines, which drove two propeller shafts. The machinery was rated at 5000shp, giving a design speed of 27.5kn. of coal was carried, giving a cruising radius of 750nmi at .
The ships carried five 4501NaN1 torpedo tubes, with one in the bow and the remaining four in single swivelling mounts fore and aft on the ships' beam. Two 75 mm L/30 guns were carried fore and aft on the ships' centreline, with a single 8abbr=onNaNabbr=on machine gun completing the armament. Crew was 35 officers and other ranks.
The first of the ships, the Schichau-built was launched at Schichau's Elbing, Prussia (now Elbląg, Poland) shipyard on 1 March 1911 and commissioned on 28 August that year, while the remaining two ships, and, were built at the Orlogsværftet, the Copenhagen Naval Dockyard, launching later that year and completing in 1912.
The three Tumleren-class ships were considered more advanced than the Yarrow designed s, although the Söridderen class, which had higher freeboard, were more seaworthy. They served through the First World War on neutrality patrols. Tumleren and Spækhuggeren were retired to the reserves in 1929, with Vindhunden following in 1930. All three ships were sold for scrap in 1935.
| Name | Laid down | Launched | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 March 1911 | |||
| 21 October 1910 | 16 December 1911 | ||
| 29 October 1910 | 7 October 1911 |