During the years 1942–1944 four ships, Visby, Sundsvall, Hälsingborg and Kalmar, were built and delivered to the Swedish navy.

[4][7] The ships were fitted for minelaying, with up to 20 mines being carried, while anti-submarine armament consisted of four depth charge throwers.

Like the Göteborg class, the superstructure was built using light alloys to save weight.

[4] Three 3-drum boilers fed superheated steam to two de Laval geared steam turbines, driving two shafts and giving 36,000 shaft horsepower (27,000 kW), allowing a speed of 39 knots (72 km/h; 45 mph) to be reached.

[8] From 1964, Visby and Sundsvall underwent a much more expensive reconstruction, being completely rearmed.

As recommissioned on 14 October 1966, the two destroyers were armed with two Bofors 57 mm (2.2 in) anti-aircraft guns, one forward and one aft, with a quadruple 375 mm (14.8 in) Bofors anti-submarine rocket launcher replacing the torpedo tubes.