Filin-class guard ships were a class of ships originally built in Finland as patrol vessels for the Imperial Russian Navy. With the withdrawal of Russia from the area, the ships went to other use.
 Model of ORP General Haller
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders |
|
| Operators | Finnish Navy, Polish Navy, Kriegsmarine |
| Built | 1918-1919 |
| In commission | 1918–1952 |
| Planned | 6 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 2 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Gunboat |
| Displacement | 342 tons |
| Length | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Beam | 7 m (23 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power | 1,150 shp (860 kW) |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 48–63 |
| Armament | Filin class:
|
Overview
editFour ships were constructed, two of them were sold to Polish Navy where they served as General Haller and Komendant Piłsudski and the other two were commissioned into the Finnish Navy as Turunmaa and Karjala.[2]
They were initially classified as patrol cruisers though the name did not describe them well. The class had good accommodation for a their size but they hardly resembled a warship. Foreign observers' comments on the ships of the class in Finnish service was that they were 'graceful tugs'. The ships were only suitable for coastal patrolling as they were not particularly seaworthy and their structural strength and power were limited. Also the structure did not allow guns larger than 75 mm to be installed.[2][3][4]
Ships in class
edit| Ship | Laid down as | Launched | In commission | Service with | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turunmaa | Tshirok Orlan |
1918 | 1918 - 1952 |  Finnish Navy
|
Sold for scrap 1953 |
| Karjala | Filin | 1918 | 1918 - 1952 | Finnish Navy
|
Sold for scrap 1953 |
| General Haller | Vodorez | 1919[1] | 1921 - 1939 |  Polish Navy
|
Sunk September 1939 |
Komendant Piłsudski.svg){kind=small} Heisternest
|
Lun | 1919[1] | 1921-1939 1939-1943
|
Polish Navy Kriegsmarine
|
Sunk September 1939 Raised 1939. Sunk September 1943.
|
| Gorlitsa | Gorlitsa | - | - | - | Never completed, scrapped |
| Sova | Sova | - | - | - | Never completed, scrapped |
Last two ships of the same class - Gorlitsa and Sova - were being constructed before the work on them was halted. They were never completed and instead were scrapped.
References
edit- ^ a b c Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921. London, England: Conway Maritime Press Ltd. p. 319. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- ^ a b Auvinen, Visa (1983). Leijonalippu merellä [Lion flag at sea] (in Finnish). Pori, Finland: Satakunnan Kirjapaino Oy. pp. 34–35. ISBN 951-95781-1-0.
- ^ Kijanen, Kalervo (1968). "Erikoistietoja Suomen Laivastovoimien Aluksista" [Special information on the Ships of the Finnish Navy]. Suomen Laivasto 1918–1968, II [Finnish Navy 1918–1968, part II] (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Meriupseeriyhdistys/Otavan Kirjapaino.
- ^ Kijanen, Kalervo (1968). Suomen Laivasto 1918–1968, I [Finnish Navy 1918–1968, part I] (in Finnish). Helsinki, Finland: Meriupseeriyhdistys/Otavan Kirjapaino. p. 112.
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