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20-674: While preparing the design of the 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), the radius of action was not of prime importance to this design, and only 20 tons of fuel oil were carried (as opposed to

40-399: A radar on the island. On November 18, 1942 three Finnish motor torpedo boats Syöksy , Vinha and Vihuri , as well as a minelaying KM-boat made an assault on the harbour of Lavansaari. Syöksy managed to hit the gunboat Krasnoye Znamya with one torpedo. The Soviet vessel was sunk in her moorings, but was eventually raised on 13 November 1943. The German naval forces wanted to prevent

60-704: Is an island in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea , located some 120 km west of Saint Petersburg . The island is a part of the Leningrad Oblast , Russia . The area of the island is approximately 13.9 km². After the Finnish Civil War and until the Russo-Finnish Winter War the island was a part of Finland and belonged to the province of Viipuri . The island, which had the largest population of

80-408: The Gulf of Finland . Saukko , accompanied by several motor torpedo boats, was towed by the gunboat Karjala to Koivisto on 7 December 1939. Since hostilities had started before the Finnish Navy had a chance to lay defensive minefields outside their coastal forts, it was hoped that Saukko might be able to accomplish that task. A Leningrad-class destroyer and five other Soviet destroyers reached

100-495: The besieged Soviet garrison at Hanko . According to Finnish sources, the convoy consisted of a transport vessel of the Molotov class ( Iosif Stalin -class passenger ship ) escorted by pair of large minesweepers and a group of patrol boats . According to Soviet sources, there were only four minor ships: the 489-ton freighter Hilde , built in 1894, one T58-class minesweeper , and two MO-class patrol boats . The submarine penetrated

120-538: The 20 mm gun up to the tower. On 9 August 1942, Vesihiisi was deployed along with her two sister ships to Mariehamn . Their mission was to conduct anti-submarine and escort operations in the Sea of Åland . In the evening of 21 October 1942 she torpedoed and sank the Soviet S-class submarine S-7 , near Lågskär in the Sea of Åland . The captain (Sergei Lisin) and three of the crew of S-7 ; all of whom had been in

140-613: The 67 tons carried by the German Type VIIa based on this design. Vesihiisi was alerted with Vesikko to the Hanko region on 30 November 1939 as several Soviet surface combatants were headed towards the area. The submarines however failed to reach the area in time to intercept the 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

160-513: The Finnish Navy as Suursaari - Kiskolan rivi , i.e. Suursaari - Kiskola line. Seeigel I-IV and VI-VIII consisted of 2 526 pieces of sea mines together with Seeigel V in the depth of from two metres to three metres below the water surface. As an exception to the other barrages, Seeigel V had mines in the 25 metres depth from the water surface. In June the supplementary mine-laying consisted of 244 magnetic seamines, about 3000 anchored depth mines and about 1,630 minesweeping obstacles. The smaller barrage,

180-436: The Finnish boats were withdrawn from the area. On 3 July 1941 Saukko was patrolling off the island of Sommers when she sighted two patrol vessels by the pier. The submarine fired a torpedo but was forced to withdraw, without being able to observe results, by harassing Soviet patrol boats. Moshchny Island Moshchny ( Russian : Мощный ; Finnish : Lavansaari ; Swedish : Lövskär , Estonian : Lavassaar )

200-470: The Finnish islands in the gulf was evacuated in 1939 - an operation that lasted merely a few hours. During World War II , when Leningrad was almost entirely surrounded and many other islands had been conquered by the Germans and the Finns, Admiral Tributs decided to keep islands of Seiskari and Lavansaari which proved to be very important bases as the war progressed. The Russians had a minor naval station and

220-449: The Finnish submarines were docked for the winter. During the sailing season of 1941 the Italian torpedoes Vesihiisi used (Finnish designation T/40) proved to be unreliable. During 1942 Vesihiisi was upgraded with new 12-hydrophone listening arrays and equipped with a depth charge rack capable of carrying 4 depth charges. The submarine was further modified by streamlining the tower and moving

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240-563: The Soviet naval forces from operating to the West of Lavansaari by mine-laying two large sea mine barrages . The Seehund I, II, III and IV barrages ware laid from 3 August to 26 August 1942 and the larger barrage to the West of Seehund, The Seeigel I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII and VIII barrages from 21 May to 25 May 1942 and from 10 June to 23 June 1942. Both the Seeigel and Seehund barrages were recognised by

260-606: The Soviet naval station of Paldiski but soon after the ice forced the submarine to stay in port. Vesihiisi commenced operations during 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 of Suursaari Island ( Gogland ) and further 18 mines on 26 June southeast of Tytärsaari ( Bolshoy Tyuters ). After this

280-483: The aft section and the batteries in the forward section. The name "Saukko" means European otter . The construction of Saukko began in 1928 at Sandvikens Skeppsdocka och Mekaniska Verkstad in Helsinki . The design was based on German drawings for the submarine Pu110 ("smaller, quickly assemblable submarine prototype"). Launched on 2 July 1930, Saukko was declared ready for service on 16 December 1930. At that time it

300-408: The area on 8 December, and began to shell Finnish positions. The slow Saukko could not engage the Soviet destroyer group. The next day, ice prevented Finnish boats from sortieing against the bombarding Soviet ships. When the ice was finally broken, half of the air valves on Saukko were frozen, which nearly caused the boat to capsize when it tried to submerge to lay a minefield. After these failures,

320-475: The escort screen and launched two torpedoes at a range of 700 metres (770 yd) while sailing between the target and the escorts. Neither of the torpedoes exploded and the escorts forced Vesihiisi to dive to the depth of 75 metres (246 ft). Though the submarine did not suffer severe damage from the depth charges, the repairs in the dock lasted for a week. In December 1941 after the Soviets had evacuated Hanko

340-420: 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 Suursaari ( Gogland ) encountered an escorted freighter heading east. A torpedo attack failed and the submarine suffered light damage from the escort's depth charges. On 5 August 1941 Vesihiisi attacked a convoy transporting supplies to

360-449: The submarine's tower, were then captured (a fourth crewman drowned before he could be rescued). On 4 July 1944 Vesihiisi laid 20 mines between Moshchny Island (Lavansaari) and Seskar (Seiskari). The boat was attacked with depth charges by two Soviet minesweepers but was able to escape without any damage. The submarine laid a further 18 mines north of Moshchny Island on 6 July 1944. Finnish submarine Saukko Saukko (Pu110)

380-700: Was a small submarine that served in the Finnish Navy during the Second World War . It was designed not to exceed 100 tonnes (98 long tons; 110 short tons), as it was planned for use in Lake Ladoga , and according to the 1920 Treaty of Tartu , no nation was allowed to use naval ships of more than 100 tonnes on the lake (When completed, Saukko weighed somewhat more than this). The submarine could be divided into separate sections and transported by rail. The conning tower could be lifted off entirely. The engines were in

400-474: Was the world's smallest submarine, officially weighing only 99 tonnes (97 long tons; 109 short tons). Saukko had a crew of 15 men. The outer hull was designed for icy conditions. Original plans called for Saukko to be brought to the town of Lahdenpohja on Lake Ladoga by rail, but this was never implemented. During the Winter War (1939–1940) and the Continuation War (1941–1944), the submarine operated in

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