Finnish submarine Vesihiisi
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Finland
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| Name: | Vesihiisi |
| Ordered: | 4 March 1927 |
| Builder: | Crichton-Vulcan |
| Laid down: | 1927 |
| Launched: | 1 August 1930 |
| Commissioned: | 2 December 1931 |
| Decommissioned: | 1946 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1950s |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Vetehinen-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 493 tonnes surfaced, 716 tonnes submerged |
| Length: | 63.5 m (208.3 ft) |
| Beam: | 6.2 m (20.3 ft) |
| Draft: | 3.6 m (11.8 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Diesel-electric, 1,016 hp (758 kW) |
| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Complement: | 30 men |
| Armament: |
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Vesihiisi was a Finnish 500-tonne Vetehinen-class submarine that was constructed in the early 1930s. The vessel served in the Finnish Navy during the second World War.
While preparing the design of the Finnish submarine Saukko, the Germans also prepared a design for a seagoing submarine for the Finnish Navy. Three submarines were built to this design, and like Saukko, they were fitted for mine-laying, the mines being supplied by the Germans. Being designed for use against Soviet bases (never very far from the Finnish bases), radius of action was not of prime importance to this design, and only 20 tons of fuel oil were carried (as opposed to the 67 tons carried by the German Type VIIa based on this design.
Vesihiisi was alerted with Vesikko to Hanko region on 30 November 1939 as several Soviet surface combatants were headed towards the area. The submarines however failed to arrive to the area in time to intercept the Soviet cruiser Kirov and its escorts.
Vesihiisi ran aground in early December 1941 and had to be docked for a few days for repairs. On 27 December Vesihiisi laid 16 mines off the Soviet naval station of Paldiski but soon after the ice forced the submarine to stay in port.
Vesihiisi started the Continuation War on 22 June by laying 20 mines in Estonian waters (controlled at the time by the Soviet Union). She laid 18 more mines on 24 June at Ruuskeri south southwest from Gogland and further 18 mines on 26 June southeast from Bolshoy Tyuters. After this the mining operation was postponed and Vesihiisi laid the 18 already loaded mines finally on 2 August east of Osmussaar.
On 2 July 1941 Vesihiisi while patrolling east of Gogland encountered an escorted freighter heading east. A torpedo attack failed and the submarine suffered light damage from the escort's depth charges.
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Wikipedia