Finnish submarines in wars. The Winter War of 1939–1940.
On November 30, 1939, an armed conflict broke out between the USSR and Finland, known in the latter as the "Winter War." Although the fighting took place primarily on the land front, the navies of both sides, including submarines, also participated.
The Finnish Submarine Flotilla (Sukellusvenelaivue) was organizationally part of Fleet Coastal Fleet (Rannikkolaivasto), which was part of the Navy. It included submarines and the icebreaker-bailout Sisu. The flotilla, based in Helsinki, was commanded by Lieutenant Commander (Kapteenilluutnantti) Arto Kivikuru. At the beginning of the 1939 campaign, Vetehinen, Vesihiisi, and Vesikko were in service, Iku-Turso was in reserve, and Saukko was undergoing trials after modernization.
With the outbreak of World War II, all submarines were commissioned. Due to rising tensions in Soviet-Finnish relations, on October 9, Vetehinen (commander Lieutenant Commander K. Pakkala) and Iku-Turso (Lieutenant Commander Virkki) were transferred to Saaristomeri (southwestern Finland), where they operated as a separate unit until December 12. The remaining submarines, along with the minelayer floating base Louhi, were based in Helsinki. It is interesting to note that the Navy training sailing ship Suomen Joutsen (currently an exhibit at the Turku Maritime Museum) also served as a submarine base.
After the outbreak of the armed conflict, Finnish submarines were ordered to attack only large enemy surface ships and, when attacking merchant vessels, to adhere to the provisions of the 1936 London Protocol on Submarine Warfare. On December 24, the Finnish government authorized submarines to operate in Estonian territorial waters, as Soviet warships and aircraft, in accordance with the agreements of October 11, 1939, were using military bases in Tallinn, Paldiski, and the Moonsund Islands, thereby violating Estonia's neutrality. Soviet ships based in Latvia (Liepaja and Ventspils) also participated in the hostilities.
Finnish submarine operations were not particularly active or bold, although there were plenty of targets. These included both surface ships and submarines of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet operating in the Gulf of Finland and the northern Baltic, as well as transport vessels. The sea lane linking the Main Base, Tallinn, and Liepaja was practically the only supply line for the new bases in the Baltics. From October 1, 1939, to March 1, 1940, the People's Commissariat of the Navy alone transported 41,046 personnel and 45,658 tons of cargo on 83 leased vessels. Anti-submarine defenses at the new bases were virtually nonexistent. For example, the base in Libau (Liepaja) didn't even have booms with anti-submarine nets! Yet, the newest ships of the Light Forces Detachment, led by the cruiser Kirov, were based there.
In total, during the Winter War, Finnish submarines conducted 12 combat missions, laid 39 (according to other sources, 36) mines, and did not fire a single torpedo. The German vessel Dietrich Hasseldieck (138 GRT) was struck and sank by mines laid by the submarines. These were the only victories for the Finnish submariners.
During the war, the Vetehinen-class large submarines operated primarily in the northern Baltic, while the others operated in the Gulf of Finland. On the very first day of the war, ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Light Forces Detachment, consisting of the cruiser Kirov and two destroyers, left Liepaja to bombard a Finnish coastal battery (6 x 254 mm, 6 x 75 mm) on Russarö Island. Upon learning of this, the Finnish command dispatched the submarines Vesihiisi (Lieutenant-Captain Poutiainen) and Vesikko (Lieutenant Pekkanen) from Helsinki to meet the Soviet ships. Due to the bombardment of the port, the submarines were only able to set out to sea at 03:00 AM on December 1 and did not have time to participate in this battle. artillery The firefight at Russare lasted only 15 minutes (09:55–10:10). The boats remained in position near the Hanko Peninsula until December 4.
On December 4, the Finnish consulate in Gothenburg, Sweden, reported that the Soviet icebreaker Yermak, en route from Murmansk to the Baltic, had passed through the Sound Strait. The presence of this vessel in the Gulf of Finland would significantly enhance the effectiveness of Baltic Fleet ships in winter conditions, and so the Vetehinen departed that same day in the Liepaja area to hunt for it. On December 5, it was detected on the surface by the Soviet submarine Shch-324, but the Shchuk's commander, Lieutenant Commander A. Konyayev, did not attack it, fearing the sinking of his own S-1, presumably located in the same area.
On December 6th, Vetehinen took up position near Liepāja, and the following day, Finnish submariners spotted Yermak 4-5 miles from the port, but were unable to attack due to poor visibility. Soon, the famous icebreaker's tall funnels were visible at the port pier, and the following day, Vetehinen began its voyage to base. On December 9th, Shch-324 again spotted her under extremely favorable conditions, but was unable to attack. After all, Soviet submariners conducted torpedo training primarily with compressed air, not real torpedoes, which quickly had an impact on the combat situation.
Due to improper preparation of the torpedo tube for firing, the submarine plunged into deep water, and by the time it managed to surface to periscope level, the enemy was already far away. The Finnish submarine returned to base that same day. A. Konyayev kept watch for her at the edge of the skerries for four days, but to no avail. During its next patrol from December 12–15 west of Dago Island, Vetehinen again attempted to intercept the Yermak, but failed to locate its much-desired target.
U-324
Anatoly Mikhailovich Konyaev
From December 7 to 10, the Iku-Turso, departing from Flisö (Åland Islands), patrolled off Sandhamn in anticipation of the steamship Ivan Papanin, which had departed from a Swedish port on December 6. The Finns claim the Soviet vessel escaped under a Latvian flag.
Iku-Turso
From December 7–13, Saukko (Lieutenant Aittola) and from December 17–22, Vesikko patrolled the eastern Gulf of Finland near the Koivisto Archipelago, where Soviet ships were shelling the enemy's shore battery (6 x 254 mm) on Saarenpää. On December 8, Saukko attempted to attack the battleship Minsk, but was unable to reach a favorable position due to its slow speed. An attempt to attack the battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya on December 10 nearly ended tragically for this tiny submarine. By this time, the air temperature had dropped to -10°C, and freezing of the starboard ballast tank ventilation valve caused the submarine to list dangerously while submerged.
On December 18, the Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya, and the following day, the battleship Marat, fired on Saarenpää's battery. Vesikko was unable to attack them, as she only arrived in the area on the evening of December 19. Soon after, due to severe ice conditions, submarine operations in the eastern Gulf of Finland were suspended.
From December 25–27, Vesihiisi sailed from Örö (Öre) to lay an offensive minefield in the approaches to the port of Paldiski, where submarines of the 3rd Submarine Brigade of the Baltic Fleet with the floating base Kronstadt were based. On December 27, near the Pakri lighthouse, the Finnish submarine laid 19 S/30 I mines with a depth of 3 meters (one mine failed to emerge from shaft number IV). At 22 p.m. on January 11, 1940, 50 cables from the lighthouse, the German steamship Dietrich Hasseldieck (138 GRT) struck this minefield and sank.
PL "Vesihiisi"
Vetehinen's next minelaying mission occurred during a patrol from December 30 to January 5. On January 1, she laid 20 S/30 I mines with a depth of 3 meters near Cape Juminda, on the approaches to Tallinn. While leaving the minelaying area, the submarine, while still surfaced, spotted a Soviet ship. Due to heavy icing on the superstructure, the Finns had difficulty submerging. The submarine sustained damage to the conning tower railing as a result of a ramming strike. Vetehinen then patrolled the northern Baltic but encountered no targets.
J. Maister claims that two German and two Estonian ships each perished in Finnish mines near Paldiski and Juminda, but there is no other confirmation of this.
By mid-January 1940, the Finnish submarines ceased active combat operations. All three large submarines were forced into repairs: Vetehinen and Iku-Turso due to propulsion failures, and Vesihiisi damaged its propellers while navigating through ice. The submarines' 76mm Bofors guns were removed and used to reinforce Defense Turku.
Dismantling the 76mm submarine gun
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