The archipelago fleet (Swedish: skärgårdsflottan), officially the fleet of the army (arméns flotta), was a branch of the armed services of Sweden between 1756 and 1823. Its purpose was to protect the coasts of Sweden, which was surrounded by a natural barrier of archipelagoes (or skerries). Throughout its existence it was a largely independent arm of the Swedish army, separate from the navy with the exception of a few years in the late 1760s.