Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi
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Ruotsinsalmi
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| History | |
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 Finland
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| Name: | Ruotsinsalmi |
| Namesake: | Battle of Ruotsinsalmi (1790) |
| Builder: | Wärtsilä Crichton-Vulcan, Turku |
| Launched: | October 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 1941 |
| Decommissioned: | 1975 |
| Fate: | Decommissioned in 1975, scrapped in the 1990s |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Ruotsinsalmi-class minelayer |
| Displacement: | 310 t |
| Length: | 50.0 m (164 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) |
| Draught: | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Armament: |
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Ruotsinsalmi was a minelayer of the Finnish Navy and the namesake of her class. Ruotsinsalmi was commissioned in 1940 and remained in service until 1975. The vessel was named after the battle of Ruotsinsalmi, which was fought between Sweden and Russia in 1790.
Funding for two new minelayers had been secured as early as in 1937, but instead the money was used to refurbish the garrison at Mäkiluoto.
Ruotsinsalmi and her sister vessel, Riilahti, were intended as escort minesweepers for the Finnish navy's coastal defence ships Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen, and they were therefore designed with a draught of only 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in). Ruotsinsalmi was armed with one 75-millimetre (3.0 in) gun, one Bofors 40 mm guns and two Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons. The vessel had three mine dropping rails, and could carry about 100 mines. The ship could also hunt submarines, and was equipped with sonar, depth charge throwers and rails. The vessel was also strong enough to be able to tow mine sweeping equipment. It was equipped with smoke generators so it could protect itself and other near-by vessels from the enemy.
Ruotsinsalmi and Riilahti began mining the Gulf of Finland on 26 June 1941, immediately after the outbreak of the Continuation War. The first minefield, Kipinola, Ruotsinsalmi laid together with Riilahti south-east of Hanko which was intended to block Soviet seaways to Hanko. Same group laid already on 27 June the next minefield, Kuolemajärvi, north-west of Paldiski again to block route to Hanko. Another one, Valkjärvi, was laid on 29–30 June.
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