Finnish gunboat Matti Kurki

Last updated
Klas Horn.jpg
Matti Kurki's sister ship, Klas Horn
History
Naval Ensign of Russia.svg Russia
NameVoevoda
Builder Schichau, Elbing, Germany
Laid down1891
Launched8 December 1892
Commissioned1892
Decommissioned1918
FateTaken over by Finland 1918
Military Flag of Finland.svgFinland
NameMatti Kurki
AcquiredMarch 1918
Commissioned1918
Stricken1937
FateBroken up for scrap 1938
General characteristics as built
Class and type Kazarski-class gunboat
Displacement420  t (410 long tons)
Length60.20 m (197 ft 6 in)
Beam7.42 m (24 ft 4 in)
Draught3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)
Propulsion1 shaft, vertical triple expansion engine, 3,500  ihp (2,600  kW)
Speed21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Complement65
Armament

Matti Kurki was originally the Kazarski-class torpedo gunboat Voevoda of the Imperial Russian Navy. [1] One of three built for the Russian Baltic Fleet, Voevoda was used as a despatch vessel during World War I. During the Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from the Russian Empire and the ship, which lay abandoned in Finnish waters, was taken over by the newly formed Finnish Navy and renamed Matti Kurki, after 13th-century commander. Matti Kurki ended her Finnish Navy service in the 1930s. The ship was broken up for scrap in 1938.

Contents

Design and description

The Kazarski class were an early Russian design of torpedo gunboats. The ships measured 60.20 metres (197 ft 6 in) long with a beam of 7.42 m (24 ft 4 in) and a draught of 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in). [2] They had a displacement of 420 tonnes (410 long tons ) [3] and had a complement of 65 officers and ratings. [2] They were propelled by one shaft powered by a vertical triple expansion engine fed steam by two Ioco boilers rated at 3,500 indicated horsepower (2,600  kW ). The Kazarskis sported a single funnel. They had a maximum speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) and could carry 90 tonnes (89 long tons; 99 short tons) of coal for fuel. They were initially armed with six 3-pounder (47 mm) guns and three 1-pounder guns. The Kazarskis were also equipped with two 15-inch (380 mm) torpedo tubes. One was fixed in the bow while the other was deck-mounted and could be trained at targets. [2]

The vessel underwent a series of modifications during her existence. In 1907 Voevoda had her 3-pounder guns replaced with two 57 mm (2.2 in)/40 calibre guns. [4] [a] In 1910 the ship was rearmed with two 75 mm (3.0 in) guns, two 57 mm guns, two machine guns and the bow torpedo tube was removed. [4]

Construction and career

Voevoda was constructed at the Schichau shipyard in Elbing, Germany. The vessel was laid down in 1891 and launched on 8 December 1892. During World War I, Voevoda was used as a despatch vessel for the Baltic Fleet. [4] During the Bolshevik Revolution, Finland declared independence from the Russian Empire in 1918. The basis for the new nation's navy were a series of former Russian vessels abandoned during the revolution in Finnish waters. [3] Voevoda was taken over in March 1918 and renamed Matti Kurki for a 13th century commander. [4] The ship was stricken in 1937 and broken up for scrap in 1938. [3] [4]

Notes

  1. The length of Russian guns in calibres denotes the overall length of the gun and not bore length. [5]

Citations

  1. Бережной, С.С. (2002). Крейсера и миноносцы. Справочник (in Russian). Moskva: Военное издательство. p. 282. ISBN   5-203-01780-8.
  2. 1 2 3 Campbell 1979, p. 202.
  3. 1 2 3 Westerlund 1980, p. 364.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Budzbon 1985, p. 297.
  5. Campbell 1979, p. 171.

Related Research Articles

HSwMS <i>Sjölejonet</i> (1936)

HSwMS Sjölejonet was the lead ship of a class of nine naval submarines in the service of the Swedish Navy from just before World War II into the early Cold War. The submarines were ordered in response to the rising German threat to the south in the interwar period. Sjölejonet remained in service until 1959 and was sold for scrap in 1962.

<i>Svetlana</i>-class cruiser Class of Russian light cruisers

The Svetlana-class cruiser was the first class of light cruisers built for the Imperial Russian Navy (IRN) during the 1910s. Construction was interrupted by World War I, the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War. Only Svetlana of the quartet was completed by the Soviet Union as a cruiser, two were converted to oil tankers, and the remaining ship was scrapped without being completed.

Russian battleship <i>Gangut</i> (1911) Russian lead ship of Gangut-class

Gangut was both the lead ship of the Gangut-class dreadnoughts of the Imperial Russian Navy built before World War I and the last of her class to be completed. She was named after the Russian victory over the Swedish Navy in the Battle of Gangut in 1714. She was completed during the winter of 1914–1915, but was not ready for combat until mid-1915. Her role was to defend the mouth of the Gulf of Finland against the Germans, who never tried to enter, so she spent her time training and providing cover for minelaying operations. Her crew joined the general mutiny of the Baltic Fleet after the February Revolution and joined the Bolsheviks in 1918. She was laid up in 1918 for lack of manpower and not recommissioned until 1925, by which time she had been renamed Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya.

Finnish gunboat <i>Klas Horn</i>

Klas Horn was originally the Kazarski-class torpedo gunboat Posadnik of the Imperial Russian Navy. One of three built for the Russian Baltic Fleet, Posednik was used as a despatch vessel during World War I. During the Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from the Russian Empire and the ship, which lay abandoned in Finnish waters, was taken over by the newly formed Finnish Navy and renamed Klas Horn, after a 16th-century admiral. Klas Horn ended her Finnish Navy service in the 1930s. The ship was broken up for scrap in 1938.

<i>Orfey</i>-class destroyer Class of naval warship of the Imperial Russian Navy

The Orfey-class destroyers were built for the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. They were modified versions of the earlier destroyer Novik and the Derzky-class destroyers. These ships were larger, had triple torpedo tubes and an extra 102 mm (4 in) gun. One ship, Engels, was fitted with a 305 mm (12 in) recoilless rifle for testing in 1934. Fourteen ships were completed in 1914–1917 and fought in World War I and during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The survivors fought in World War II.

<i>Fidonisy</i>-class destroyer Imperial Russian and Soviet destroyers built 1915–1924

The Fidonisy class, also known as the Kerch class, were a group of eight destroyers built for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I. They participated in World War I, the Russian Civil War, and World War II.

The Hurja-class motor torpedo boats or H class was an Italian-designed class of Finnish motor torpedo boats, seeing service with the Finnish Navy during World War II. The five boats of the H class were built by Cantieri Baglietto in Genoa, Italy. The ships were converted into patrol boats in 1949, in accordance with the Paris peace treaty and their torpedo armament, forbidden by the treaty, was removed. The H class were stricken from the naval vessel register in 1963.

The Jymy-class motor torpedo boats or J class was an Italian-designed and built class of motor torpedo boats, seeing service during World War II with the Royal Italian Navy and later with the Finnish Navy. The four boats of the J class were built by Cantieri Baglietto in Genoa, Italy and purchased by the Finns on 5 June 1943. Following World War II, the vessels were rearmed according to the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947, losing their torpedo capabilities and given more guns. They were removed from service in 1961.

<i>Taisto</i>-class motor torpedo boat Motor torpedo boat series

The Taisto-class motor torpedo boats or T class was a series of motor torpedo boats, which saw service with the Finnish Navy during World War II. Following the war, the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947 prohibited the Finnish Navy from employing torpedo-carrying vessels of any kind and the Taisto class were converted into motor gunboats. By 1964, all vessels of the class had been removed from service.

<i>Marcílio Dias</i>-class destroyer Three Brazilian Navy ships

The Marcílio Dias-class destroyers were three destroyers of the Brazilian Navy that served during World War II. They were based on the United States Navy's Mahan class. They entered service in 1943 and served on Atlantic convoy duty with the Allies. In July 1944, the three destroyers escorted the Brazilian Expeditionary Force to Italy. Following the end of the war, the destroyers remained in service, undergoing modernisation. Two were discarded in 1966, with the last taken out of service in 1973.

Russian cruiser <i>Admiral Kornilov</i>

Admiral Kornilov was a protected cruiser of the Russian Imperial Navy. She was presumably named for Admiral Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov.

Russian battleship <i>Poltava</i> (1911) Imperial Russian Navys Gangut-class battleship

Poltava (Полтава) was the second of the Gangut-class battleships of the Imperial Russian Navy built before World War I. The Ganguts were the first class of Russian dreadnoughts. She was named after the Russian victory over Charles XII of Sweden in the Battle of Poltava in 1709. She was completed during the winter of 1914–1915, but was not ready for combat until mid-1915. Her role was to defend the mouth of the Gulf of Finland against the Germans, who never tried to enter, so she spent her time training and providing cover for mine laying operations. She was laid up in 1918 for lack of trained crew and suffered a devastating fire the following year that almost gutted her. Many proposals were made to reconstruct or modernize her in different ways for the next twenty years, but none were carried out. While all this was being discussed she served as a source of spare parts for her sister ships and was used as a barracks ship. She was finally struck from the Navy List in 1940 and scrapping began at a very leisurely rate. She was intentionally grounded in late 1941 to prevent her from being sunk in some inconvenient location by the Germans. She was refloated in 1944 and scrapped beginning in 1949.

<i>Churruca</i>-class destroyer (1927) Destroyer class of the Spanish Navy

The Churruca class was a Spanish destroyer class built for the Spanish Navy based on a British design. Eighteen ships were built, with two being sold to Argentina and commonly referred to as the Cervantes class. The last two members of the class are sometimes referred to as a separate class, the Alava class.

<i>Ruotsinsalmi</i>-class minelayer Finnish navy minelayer class

The Ruotsinsalmi-class minelayers were a two-strong class of minelayers in the Finnish Navy. The two ships, comprising Ruotsinsalmi and Riilahti, were constructed in Finland and saw service in the Winter War and World War II. Riihahti was sunk in an engagement with Soviet motor torpedo boats on 23 August 1943. Ruotsinsalmi survived the wars and remained in service in the post war Finnish Navy until being withdrawn in the 1970s.

<i>Mendoza</i>-class destroyer

The Mendoza class were a series of three destroyers built in the United Kingdom for the Argentine Navy in the 1920s. They were the first part of the Argentine re-armament programme of the 1920s. Construction began in 1927 and all three were commissioned in 1929. All three destroyers were converted to anti-aircraft escorts in 1958 and remained in service until 1962 when they were discarded.

<i>Ehrensköld</i>-class destroyer 1924 class of Swedish Navy destroyers

The Ehrensköld class was the first "modern" class of destroyer built by the Swedish Navy after the First World War. It introduced several new features, mainly heavy armament in three 12 cm guns and the new 53 cm torpedo. The class included two vessels, Ehrensköld and Nordenskjöld, which were both launched in 1926 and entered service in 1927. They patrolled the Baltic Sea until 1963, after which they became target vessels. Nordenskjöld was scrapped in 1964 and Ehrensköld in 1974.

The Pizzaro class was a class of eight escort vessels built for the Spanish Navy in the 1940s. Built at Ferrol, they were completed in 1946–1950 rated as gunboats, and were redesignated as frigates in 1959. They started to be withdrawn from use in 1968, with the last of the class, Vincente Yañez Pinzon, stricken in 1982.

Russian destroyer <i>Sokol</i> (1895)

Sokol was the first torpedo boat destroyer built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was designed and built by the British shipbuilder Yarrows from 1894 to 1895 and was claimed to be the fastest warship in the world during her sea trials. She was renamed Pruitki in 1902.

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>Pernov</i>-class torpedo boat Class of Imperial Russian and Soviet torpedo boats

The Pernov-class torpedo boat was a class of torpedo boats built for the Imperial Russian Navy between 1891 and 1900. A total of 25 boats were constructed, with four of them serving in the Siberian Flotilla, four in the Black Sea Fleet, and 17 in the Baltic Fleet. The majority of them were retired before the start of World War I. The ones that remained were used during that conflict and in the Russian Civil War. After the Bolshevik victory several of them were commissioned in the Soviet Navy for a few years, and the last ones that remained in service were struck from the navy list in 1925.

References