Estonian gunboat Pikker

Last updated
Pikker model.jpg
Model of the ship Pikker at the Estonian Maritime Museum
History
Naval Jack of Estonia.svg Estonia
NamePikker
BuilderTallinna Sadamatehased [1]
Launched1939
Commissioned1940
DecommissionedOctober 29, 1940
Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union (1950-1991).svg Soviet Union
NamePikker, Пиккер and others
CommissionedOctober 29, 1940
Decommissioned1961
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union
NameMoskowskij Uniwiersitiet (Московский университет)
Commissioned1961
Decommissioned1972
Fatescrapped in 1978 [2] or 1976 [3]
General characteristics
Class and type gunboat, yacht [3]
Displacement
  • standard: 500 t (1,100,000 lb)
  • full: 540 t (1,190,000 lb)
Length58 m (190 ft 3 in)
Draft2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Propulsion
  • 1,900 hp (1,398 kW): [3] 2 diesel engines manufactured by Deutsche Werke Kiel [1]
  • 2 propellers [3]
Speed18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) [1]
Complement
Sensors and
processing systems
radar (from 1948) [1]
Armament
  • 2 x 75 mm L/50 guns (until 1941)
  • 3 x 45 mm guns (from 1941 to 1946)
  • 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns
  • 1 x anti-aircraft Lewis gun
  • depth charge thrower (optional)

Pikker was an Estonian gunboat of original design from World War II, built in Tallinn with funds from a public collection. It served in the Estonian Navy and in the Soviet Navy, where it participated in the evacuation of Tallinn during World War II. The ship operated in the Baltic Sea from 1940 to 1946, after which it was assigned to the Black Sea Fleet, where it served as an exclusive yacht for Soviet leaders. In 1961, it was transferred as a research vessel to Moscow State University.

Contents

Origins

Submarine Fund

In the 1930s, the Estonian government sought funds to build two submarines. About half of the required sum was obtained from the sale of two old destroyers, Lennuk and Wambola , to Peru. To secure the remaining funds, the Submarine Fund was established on 31 May 1933. By the end of 1934, it had collected 53,000 kroons – the most raised by any national collection effort up to that point. However, this amount was about 60 times less than the needed contribution for the construction. It was then decided that the submarines would be financed from the state budget. In March 1935, the military leader, General Johan Laidoner, decided to continue the fundraising for a much cheaper submarine chaser. As raising the new, lower amount of 300,000 kroons also proved difficult, some military personnel suggested ordering an unarmed vessel. Instead, it was decided to proceed with another round of the campaign, which ultimately concluded on 5 July 1937. [4]

Construction and assignment in the Estonian Navy

Pikker and other ships of the Estonian Navy in Tallinn Harbor (1940) Okrety Eesti Merevagi.jpg
Pikker and other ships of the Estonian Navy in Tallinn Harbor (1940)

The ship was ordered from the Tallinna Sadamatehased shipyard in the same year [lower-alpha 1] and launched in the summer of 1939. [1] Originally, it was intended to serve in the Estonian Border Guard as a patrol vessel and also to be used as a presidential yacht for the head of state during foreign visits. [1] [5] Due to the threat of war, it was taken over by the navy, either during construction [1] or after being launched and equipped. [3] The ship was commissioned in the spring of 1940 under the name Pikker, [lower-alpha 2] [5] named after the god from Estonian mythology who controls weather phenomena, especially thunderstorms. [1] [6] Pikker was assigned to the Allveelaevastiku divisjoni on 11 May 1940, along with both Kalev-class submarines, for which it was to serve as a depot ship. The first commander of the vessel was Commander Alfred Pupp. [3] [1]

Service in the Soviet Union

Before the war

After Estonia was occupied by the Red Army in June 1940, Pikker was taken over by the Soviet Baltic Fleet and classified as an aviso . [7] The exact date of the ship's seizure is unclear. Hartmut Ehlers states that the official inclusion took place on October 20, after the actual occupation, [3] while Jarosław Malinowski and Oskar Myszor indicate October 29 as the date of actual takeover, considering the order 00208 from August 18/19 as the official one. [8] Like other former Estonian ships, the vessel temporarily retained its name, written in Cyrillic (Пиккер). In the Soviet Navy, the crew size was increased from 29 to 43 members. [7]

World War II

After the German aggression against the Soviet Union began on 22 June 1941, Pikker became the flagship of the Fleet's Military Council – the presidential cabins were occupied by Fleet Commander Vladimir Tributs. [9] When the Germans started their attack on Tallinn, the decision was made to evacuate the city. Besides the already accommodated members of the Military Council, Pikker took on board several important communist notables of the Estonian SSR. It departed from Tallinn on the night of August 27/28 as part of the 2nd squadron escorting the evacuation of troops. On the way, it assisted the survivors of the flotilla leader Minsk (type Leningrad ), which had hit a mine, rescuing a total of 78 people. [10] Pikker and the accompanying submarines were attacked by enemy aircraft, but none of the dropped bombs hit the target. [7] [11] It reached the Kronstadt base on August 29. After a few weeks, Pikker was relocated to Leningrad, where it was rearmed – instead of two 75 mm guns, three 45 mm guns were installed. The ship remained in the base until the end of the war, changing its name to Kijew (Киев) on 2 December 1941, [12] to Luga (Луга) on 15 March 1943, [12] and possibly to Ilmen (Ильмень) in 1944. [3] [7]

Black Sea

After the war, the ship underwent reconstruction in Tallinn, then sailed to Sevastopol, where work continued at the Sevmorzavod shipyard. The vessel was adapted to its original, representative function. The guns were removed, and only light armament was installed. The ship was equipped with radar and sun awnings, new furniture was added, and more motorboats and lifeboats were included. The ship received a new name, Rion (Рион), [12] on June 21 [7] or July 21, [3] 1948.

Rion was assigned as an escort for the yacht Angara. It hosted the highest leaders of the Soviet Union and allied states, such as Joseph Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev, [3] Josip Broz Tito, [12] and Nikita Khrushchev, who sailed on it from Izmail to Sevastopol. [12]

In 1961, the ship was decommissioned from the Soviet Navy and handed over to Moscow State University. The Sevastopol shipyard converted it into a research vessel, including the installation of a boom-type trawl. Under the new name Moskowskij Uniwiersitiet (Московский университет), [12] it was used for Black Sea research from bases in Sevastopol and Yalta. It was decommissioned in 1972. [3] [7]

Fate of the ship

There are various theories about the ship's fate. According to one of the former Estonian crew members, it was scrapped in 1976. [3] Other sources state that it was scrapped in 1978, but there is disagreement about whether this occurred in Inkerman. [2] [13] The version that the ship was beached on the Caucasian coast and served as a restaurant is largely dismissed. [13] After regaining independence, Estonia made several attempts to locate its presidential yacht, but these efforts were unsuccessful. [13]

The Estonian Maritime Museum currently holds a pre-war metal model of Pikker. [1]

Construction

Pikker was a ship measuring 58 m in length (57 m at the design waterline) and 7.34 m in width. Its standard draft was 2.4 m. The full displacement was 540 tons, while the design [3] or standard [1] displacement was 500 tons. Around the 20th meter from the bow, there was a deck break. The superstructure fitted into this break was intended for the president and other official guests. Its standard was higher compared to the other compartments, featuring large windows instead of portholes. The forward superstructure had two levels. Both superstructures had masts, and between them, on the aft superstructure, there was a funnel. [1]

Pikker was powered by two diesel engines manufactured by Deutsche Werke Kiel. Their combined power of 1,900 hp allowed the vessel to reach a maximum speed of 18 knots. [1]

The main armament of the ship in the Estonian Navy consisted of two 75 mm caliber guns, each with a barrel length of 50 calibers (L/50) – one located at the bow and the other mounted on the edge of the aft superstructure. The armament was supplemented by two 7.62 mm machine guns and an anti-aircraft Lewis gun. During the war, the main guns were replaced with three 45 mm caliber guns. An optional piece of equipment was a depth charge launcher. [1]

On the aft superstructure, on both sides of the funnel, there were a motorboat (on the starboard side) and a wooden lifeboat (on the port side). [1]

List of ship names

Latin alphabetCyrillic scriptDate of name assignmentReference
PikkerПиккер1940 Pikker (mythology)
KijewКиев2 December 1941 Kyiv
LugaЛуга15 March 1943 Luga or Luga river
Ilmien [lower-alpha 3] Ильмень1944 Lake Ilmen
RionРион21 June 1948 Rioni
Moskowskij UniwiersitietМосковский университет1961 Moscow State University

Notes

  1. Bartelski & Morozow (2014) state that the ship was ordered in January 1939, which would have given the Tallinn shipyard very little time to build it.
  2. Bartelski & Morozow (2014) give the name Pikkeri.
  3. Malinowski & Myszor (2010, p. 66) list this name as hypothetical.

Related Research Articles

ORP <i>Orzeł</i> (1938) Polish WWII submarine

ORP Orzeł was an Orzeł class submarine of the Polish Navy that served during WWII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River monitor</span> Military warship designed to patrol rivers

River monitors are military craft designed to patrol rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–1945)</span> WWII Axis and Allied campaigns

The Baltic Sea campaigns were conducted by Axis and Allied naval forces in the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the connected lakes Ladoga and Onega on the Eastern Front of World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were the Kriegsmarine and the Soviet Navy, with Finland supporting the Germans until 1944 and the Soviets thereafter. The Swedish Navy and merchant fleet played important roles, and the British Royal Navy planned Operation Catherine for control of the Baltic Sea and its exit choke point into the North Sea.

ORP <i>Sokół</i> (1940)

ORP Sokół was a U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. Shortly after launching in September 1940 she was to be commissioned by the Royal Navy as HMS Urchin, but instead was leased to the Polish Navy due to a lack of experienced submarine crews. A sister boat to Dzik, both boats operated in the Mediterranean from Malta, where they became known as the "Terrible Twins".

<i>Leningrad</i>-class destroyer

The six Leningrad-class destroyer leaders were built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1930s. They were inspired by the contre-torpilleurs built for the French Navy. They were ordered in two batches of three ships each; the first group was designated Project 1 and the second Project 38. These ships were the first large vessels designed and built by the Soviets after the October Revolution of 1917.

Romanian frigate <i>Mărășești</i>

Mărășești (F111) is a frigate currently serving with the Romanian Navy. Mărășești served as the flagship of the navy between 1985–2004, when Regele Ferdinand became the new flagship. She is the largest warship of the Romanian Navy ever built in Romania.

Russian cruiser <i>Varyag</i> (1983) Slava-class guided missile cruiser

Russian cruiser Varyag, formerly Chervona Ukraina, is the third ship of the Slava-class of guided missile cruisers built for the Soviet Navy now serving the Russian Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soviet evacuation of Tallinn</span> Evacuation of the Baltic Fleet and pro-Soviet citizens from Tallinn

The Soviet evacuation of Tallinn, also called Juminda mine battle, Tallinn disaster or Russian Dunkirk, was a Soviet operation to evacuate the 190 ships of the Baltic Fleet, units of the Red Army, and pro-Soviet civilians from the fleet's encircled main base of Tallinn in Soviet-occupied Estonia during August 1941. Near Juminda peninsula Soviet fleet ran into minefield that had been laid by the Finnish and German navies, and were repeatedly attacked by aircraft and torpedo boats, incurring major losses.

EML <i>Lembit</i> 1936 Estonian ship

EML Lembit is one of two Kalev-class mine-laying submarines built for the Republic of Estonia before World War II, and is now a museum ship in Tallinn. She was launched in 1936 at Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness, and served in the Estonian Navy and the Soviet Navy. Until she was hauled out on 21 May 2011, Lembit was the oldest submarine still afloat in the world. Her sister ship, Kalev, was sunk in October 1941. Lembit is named for Lembitu, an Estonian ruler who resisted the Livonian Crusades.

<i>Suur Tõll</i> (icebreaker) 1914 Estonian ship

Suur Tõll is an Estonian steam-powered icebreaker preserved in the Estonian Maritime Museum in Tallinn. She was originally built for the Russian Empire in 1914 by AG Vulcan in Stettin, Germany, as Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich. In 1917, she was taken over by the Bolsheviks and renamed Volynets. However, in 1918 she was captured by Finland and served as Wäinämöinen until 1922, when she was handed over to Estonia according to the Treaty of Tartu and renamed Suur Tõll. When Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, the icebreaker rejoined the Soviet fleet and was again named Volynets. She remained in service until 1985.

Russian destroyer <i>Admiral Tributs</i>

Admiral Tributs is a Project 1155 Large Anti-Submarine Ship of the Russian Navy. Known in the west as an Udaloy-class destroyer, the ship is named after admiral Vladimir Filippovich Tributs. Launched in 1983, Admiral Tributs serves in the Russian Pacific Fleet, and has taken part in operations alongside the naval forces of other nations like China, India and Japan, and as part of a peacekeeping force in the Middle East between 1992 and 1993.

Soviet frigate <i>Deyatelnyy</i> Krivak-class frigate

Deyatelnyy was a Soviet Navy 1135 Burevestnik-class Large Anti-Submarine Ship or Krivak-class frigate. Displacing 3,200 tonnes full load, the vessel was built around the Metel anti-submarine missile system. Launched on 6 April 1975, Deyatelnyy served with the Black Sea Fleet and, as well as Bulgaria in the Black Sea, spent the next two decades travelling as far as the Mediterranean Sea to visit ports in North Africa for cultural reasons and to improve relations between the Soviet Union and other nations, For example, in 1981, the ship was the first Soviet vessel for more than ten years to visit Libya. In 1987, the vessel was used to test a new missile for the Metel system that added anti-ship capability. The ship was taken out of service for repair and modernisation in 1991. However, lack of funding meant that, instead, Deyatelnyy was decommissioned on 10 June 1995 and broken up.

NMS <i>Mărăști</i> Romanian Navys Vifor-class destroyer

NMS Mărăști was one of four Vifor-class destroyers ordered by Romania shortly before the beginning of the First World War from Italy. All four sister ships were requisitioned when Italy joined the war in 1915. Originally named Vijelie by the Romanians, she was renamed Sparviero in Italian service. Not completed until mid-1917, the ship engaged Austro-Hungarian ships in the Adriatic Sea only twice before the war ended in November 1918. She was given a new name as Mărăști when she was re-purchased by the Romanians in 1920.

NMS <i>Mărășești</i> Romanian Navys Vifor-class destroyer

NMS Mărășești was one of four Vifor-class destroyers ordered by Romania shortly before the beginning of the First World War from Italy. All four sister ships were requisitioned when Italy joined the war in 1915. Originally named Vârtej by the Romanians, she was renamed Nibbio in Italian service. Not completed until mid-1918, the ship engaged Austro-Hungarian ships in the Adriatic Sea only once before the war ended in November. She was renamed Mărășești when she was re-purchased by the Romanians in 1920.

Slavny was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Slavny was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.

HSwMS <i>Wasa</i> (1901) Swedish coastal defence ship

HSwMS Wasa was a Äran-class coastal defence ship that served with the Swedish Navy. The vessel served in the front line for substantially less time than the rest of the class. A development of Dristigheten, the Äran class mounted the same 21 cm (8.3 in) main guns, but differed in the layout of the secondary armament. Wasa was launched in 1901 and served as part of the coastal defence fleet, including taking part in neutrality patrols during the First World War. The ship was retired from front-line service in 1924 and withdrawn from active service in 1940, thereafter acting as a decoy and, from 1951, a damage control training ship. Wasa was sold to be broken up in 1960.

<i>Apostol Paviel</i> Sidewheel steamer built for a Russian shipping company, later minesweeper

Apostol Paviel was a passenger-cargo, sidewheel steamer built for a Russian shipping company. During World War I, it was requisitioned by the Imperial Russian Navy and converted into a minesweeper. In 1918, it was handed over to the Red Finns by the Bolsheviks, captured by the Whites, and sold to Estonia. In the Estonian Navy, it was renamed Ristna. Along with other Estonian vessels, it was taken over by the Soviet Union in 1940. The ship survived World War II and appeared in Soviet films. It was scrapped in 1958.

<i>Apostol Piotr</i> Sidewheel steamer built for a Russian shipping company, later minesweeper

Apostol Piotr was a passenger-cargo ship, a side-paddle steamer built for a Russian shipping company. During World War I, it was requisitioned for the needs of the Imperial Russian Navy and converted into a minesweeper. In 1918, it was handed over by the Bolsheviks to the Red Finns, captured by the Whites, and sold to Estonia. In the Estonian Navy, it was named Suurop. Along with the other Estonian vessels, it was taken over by the Soviet Union in 1940. It sank on a mine on 11 August 1941.

ARP <i>Paraguay</i> Humaitá-class gunboat of the Paraguayan Navy

Paraguay is a Humaitá-class river gunboat of the Paraguayan Navy. Launched in 1930, it participated in the Chaco War, transporting soldiers to the front. After the war, it took part in numerous coups d'état. In 1972, it was withdrawn from the Armada Nacional as a combat ship and has since served as a training and representational hulk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estonian destroyer Wambola</span> Destroyer of the Estonian Navy during the interwar period

Wambola was a destroyer of the Estonian Navy during the interwar period, originally a Russian Lejtienant Iljin-class ship. Previously, it was known as the Russian Kapitan I ranga Miklucha Maklai during World War I, later the Soviet Spartak, and subsequently the Peruvian Almirante Villar. The construction of the vessel began in 1914 for the Imperial Russian Navy, launched in 1915, and entered service in 1917 under the name Kapitan I ranga Miklucha Maklai. It avoided capture by the Germans by fleeing Helsingfors during the Ice March. The ship was taken over by the Bolshevik navy and renamed Spartak. During the conflict against Estonia, it participated in landing and mining operations. In December 1918, it was captured by the Royal Navy and handed over to the Estonians. In the Estonian Navy, it was named Wambola. During the Estonian War of Independence, it took part in operations against the Bolsheviks in the waters of the Gulf of Finland and in operations against the Baltische Landeswehr in Riga. After the war, it made occasional diplomatic visits. In 1933, due to high maintenance costs, it was sold to Peru. In the Peruvian Navy, it was named Almirante Villar. It did not manage to participate in the Colombia–Peru War but took part in battles against Ecuador in 1941. During World War II, it served in patrol duties and was decommissioned in 1954.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Malinowski & Myszor (2010, p. 65)
  2. 1 2 Malinowski & Myszor (2010, pp. 66–67)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Ehlers, Hartmut (2012). "Marynarka Wojenna i Paramilitarne Siły Morskie Estonii 1918-1940". Okręty Wojenne (in Polish). 1 (111). Tarnowskie Góry: 46–49. ISSN   1231-014X.
  4. Bartelski & Morozow (2014)
  5. 1 2 "Eesti Kaitsevägi » Merevägi » Ajalugu". www.mil.ee (in Estonian). 2014-04-16. Archived from the original on 2013-03-03.
  6. Zubiński, Tadeusz (2011). Mitologia estońska i liwska. Biblioteka Tradycji Europejskiej (in Polish). Sandomierz: Wydawnictwo Armoryka. ISBN   978-83-62661-11-4.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Malinowski & Myszor (2010 , p. 66)
  8. Malinowski & Myszor (2010 , pp. 65–66)
  9. Tributs (1985 , p. 63)
  10. Platonov, Andreĭ (2005). Tragedii Finskogo zaliva (in Russian). Moscow: Eksmo. pp. 186–187. ISBN   978-5-9533-4953-6.
  11. Tributs (1985 , p. 84)
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "скр "Пиккер"". lomsh8146.narod.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-07-13.
  13. 1 2 3 Kostricenko, Witalij (2003). "Судьба президентской яхты". fleet.sebastopol.ua (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2014-08-08.

Bibliography