| Finnish Navy | |
|---|---|
| Merivoimat (Finnish) Marinen (Swedish) | |
 Emblem of the Finnish Navy | |
| Founded | 1918; 107 years ago (1918) |
| Country |  Finland |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Maritime warfare |
| Size |
|
| Part of |  Finnish Defence Forces |
| Battle honours | |
| Website | merivoimat |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Rear AdmiralTuomas Tiilikainen[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Ensign |  |
| Jack |  |
TheFinnish Navy (Finnish:Merivoimat[ˈmeriˌʋoi̯mɑt],Swedish:Marinen) is one of the branches of theFinnish Defence Forces. Thenavy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given theship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but this is not used in Finnish-language contexts. The Finnish Navy also includes coastal forces andcoastal artillery.
The current Commander of the Navy is rear admiralTuomas Tiilikainen.[1] The navy is organized into the Navy Command, three Brigade-level units, and the Naval Academy. Since 1998 the navy also includes theNyland Brigade inDragsvik, where Finnish Marines orCoastal Jaegers are trained. The Nyland Brigade is also the onlySwedish-language unit in the country and it carries on the traditions and battle-honours of the Nyland (Uusimaa) Regiment of the Swedish Army.
Total of 31,500 personnel
During the Swedish era, the Finnish Gulf saw many battles between the Swedish and Russian fleets. Many of the Swedish naval bases were located in present-day Finland and many sailors came from Finland (seeArchipelago Fleet).
During the Russian rule (1809–1917) an entirely Finnish Navy unit, namedSuomen Meriekipaasi wasdefending the Finnish coast, alongside theBaltic Fleet of theImperial Russian Navy. TheMeriekipaasi participated in theCrimean War, albeit mostly with on-shore duties. TheMeriekipaasi also manned thecoastal batteries at theSantahamina Island during theSiege of Sveaborg in Helsinki. The ships theMeriekipaasi operated included the steam frigatesRurik andKalevala, named after the Finnish national epic. These ships later served in theRussian Pacific Fleet.
The first ships that the independent Finnish Navy obtained were a mix of obsolete vessels left behind by the Russians during theFinnish Civil War and vessels that had not been able to makethe winter voyage to Kronstadt as the Russian Navy retreated from German forces. Thus, the Finnish Navy of the late 1910s and early 1920s consisted of a few gunboats (Klas Horn,Matti Kurki,Turunmaa, andKarjala), sixS-class torpedo boats, eight C-class torpedo boats, one minelayer (Louhi), several minesweepers, and five T-class minelaying boats. In addition to the warships, the Russians also left behind numerous other types of vessels.
Additionally, the Germans handed over two netlayers (Hämeenmaa andUusimaa) to the Finnish Navy, and these two ships formed the core of the Finnish Navy until the coastal defence ships were commissioned. With theTreaty of Tartu, Finland had to return some of the equipment they had operated earlier. This equipment included three S-class torpedo boats (S3,S4 andS6), the minesweepersAltair,Mikula,MP 7,MP 11,Ahvola,T 12, fifteen tugs, four smaller transports and 54 motorboats. Finland lost three more ships (the torpedo boatsC1,C2 andC3) in supporting theBritish campaign in the Baltic Sea. The three vessels remained in the Baltic even when winter froze over the sea, and the expanding ice damaged the vessels beyond repair, and they were all scuttled. The last remaining C-class torpedo boats were placed in reserve after this incident.
In 1927, after years of wrangling with various plans for how to modernize the navy, and partly due to the loss of thetorpedo boatS2 in heavy seas in October 1925, theParliament of Finlandapproved a plan to build twocoastal defence ships (Panssarilaiva in Finnish), as well as foursubmarines. Motor torpedo boats were also acquired both fromBritain, as well as from domestic sources. New minesweepers were also constructed. The training shipSuomen Joutsen was also acquired.
The strength of the Finnish Navy at the beginning ofWorld War II was limited. Some of the planned ships had not yet been constructed and wartime constraints on the economy prolonged ship building times.
The Finnish Navy operated the following vessels in the Baltic Sea:
On Lake Ladoga, the Finns operated:
The navy also had severalauxiliary warships,icebreakers and patrol boats from the coast guard.
When theWinter War broke out the Finnish Navy moved to occupy the de-militarizedÅland Islands and to protect merchant shipping. In the first month of the war, battles between Soviet ships and Finnish coastal batteries were fought atHanko, Finland,Utö andKoivisto. At Koivisto and Hanko, the batteries forced Soviet battleships to retire with damage. Finnish efforts to use submarines (Vesikko andSaukko) to sink Soviet capital ships failed. In December 1939 the ice became so thick that only the icebreakers could still move. The two coastal defence ships were moved to the harbour inTurku where they were used to strengthen the air defences of the city. They remained there for the rest of the war.
Before theContinuation War five more torpedo boats were ordered fromItaly. The base that the Soviets had acquired after the Winter War at theHanko Peninsula divided the areas where the Finnish Navy would operate in two. This included the coastal artillery positions atRussarö andOsmussaar, which guarded the minefields blocking the entrance to the EasternGulf of Finland. Large mine fields were laid down in cooperation with theGermanKriegsmarine when the war began. The coastal defence ships bombarded the Soviet base at Hanko until the Sovietsevacuated Hanko in December 1941.[2]
Between 1941 and 1945 some 69,779 mines and mine sweeping obstacles were laid in theGulf of Finland by Finnish, Soviet and German naval forces. The Soviet Navy laid 16,179 mines and 2,441 mine sweeping obstacles, the Finnish navy 6,382 mines, and the German navy's vessels, submarines and aircraft laid some 45,000 mines, of which 3,000 were magnetic mines. The last mine sweeping season was held in 1957, but the mine danger continued for some 10 more years, and there are still hundreds of World War II-era mines in the Baltic Sea.[3] The greatest loss of the Finnish Navy occurred on 13 September 1941 whenIlmarinen ran into a mine and sank. 271 sailors died and only 132 were rescued. Most of the survivors later served in the Lake Onega flotilla, using old captured ships, including a steam-engined paddlewheeler.
In 1942 the main focus of the war at sea was on anti-submarine warfare. Finnish and German naval forces tried to prevent Soviet submarines from gaining access to the Baltic Sea. However, the mine barrier had proven to be insufficient to completely stop Soviet submarines activities. The Soviet subs sank 18 ships, seven of which were Finnish. 12 Soviet submarines were also sunk - three by Finnish submarines. The next step in submarine warfare was to completely block the Gulf of Finland with anti-submarine nets betweenNaissaar andPorkkala. This was done immediately after the ice cover melted on the sea. That barrier with its accompanying minefields effectively contained Soviet Naval vessels to the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland until the autumn of 1944, when the Soviets were able to use Finnish coastal seaways to circumvent the barrier.
In spring 1942 Finnish forcescaptured the island ofGogland. In July 1942 the Soviets made an attempt to occupy the small island ofSommers in theGulf of Finland. The Soviets lost several smaller vessels (patrol and torpedo boats) together with 128 men. One-hundred and two Soviet soldiers were taken prisoner. During 1943 the navy received 14 new motor torpedo boats which were used to replace the old pre-war ones.
In 1944 the Soviets launched amajor offensive against Finland, during which the navy fought in support of Finnish land forces theGulf of Vyborg. In the end the ships were forced to pull out.
In September 1944, the military operations against Germany started. The main focus was in the north, theLapland War, but the Germans also tried to captureSuursaari in an operation namedTanne Ost. The attack was repulsed. During the battle, Finnish motor torpedo boats sank several German vessels.
The last action of the Finnish Navy was during the amphibious landing of troops fromOulu inTornio. The Finnish gunboats successfully shelled German batteries, which had posed serious threat for the transport ships, while their anti-aircraft batteries defended the convoy from German air attacks. The navy also hunted German U-boats in the Baltic, laying its last mines of the war while doing this.
After the Finnish-Soviet armistice, the Finnish Navy was ordered to participate in the demanding mine clearance operation. The operation lasted until 1950. There were many casualties among the clearance crews.
The war time fleet was replaced in the 1950s and 1960s. Due to Finland's neutrality she tried to balance her purchases of equipment between the two blocs and also tried to produce its own vessels. ABay-class frigate (Matti Kurki) for training purposes, twoDark-class fast patrol boats (Vasama 1 andVasama 2) and fourBYMS-class minesweepers were bought from the UK, twoRiga-class frigates (Hämeenmaa andUusimaa) and fourOsa II-class fast attack craft (Tuima-class missile boats) were obtained from the Soviet Union. Some of the vessels, such as twoTurunmaa-class gunboats (Turunmaa andKarjala) and theNuoli-class fast attack craft were produced domestically.
The Paris peace talks in 1947 resulted in a treaty that limited the offensive capability of the Finnish military. For the navy, this meant a limitation to a fleet of no more than 10,000 tons and 4,500 personnel. As for the weaponry, torpedoes, submarines, mines and missiles were forbidden. The restrictions were eased in the 1960s and missiles and mines were allowed. The torpedo restriction was not either fully exercised as the Riga-class frigates were equipped with torpedoes and a number of torpedo boats were manufactured as gunboats that could quickly be converted to carry torpedoes. Torpedoes were re-introduced in 2018.
The Cold War limitations are no longer in place (they were nullified with the breakup of the Soviet Union), but the size of the navy has still remained roughly the same size (with the exception of tonnage).
In the late 1990s, the Finnish Navy was developing a new missile squadron calledLaivue 2000 (English:Squadron 2000). At first it was supposed to consist of twoHamina-class missile boats (already built at this date) and fourTuuli-classhovercraft. The Navy experimented with one prototype hovercraft, but announced in 2003 that theTuuli class would not enter active operations and that no more of them would be built. Instead two newHamina-class missile boats were built, and the extra weaponry from the hovercraft were installed on theHämeenmaa-class minelayers.
Once Squadron 2000 was operational, the Navy shifted its attention to mine countermeasures with a view to replacing the old Kuha- and Kiiski-class minesweepers with threeKatanpää-class mine countermeasure vessels, previously known as the MCMV 2010 and MITO classes.[4]
The cable layerPutsaari and pollution control vesselHylje were replaced in 2011 by a new multipurpose vessel built by theUudenkaupungin Työvene shipyard.[5] A newicebreaking oil spill response vessel was namedLouhi on 8 March 2011.[6]
The 1979-built minelayerPohjanmaa was decommissioned in 2013, after which the minelayerHämeenmaa took over the role offlagship of the Finnish Navy.[7]
In February 2015, it was reported that fatigue damage had been discovered in the hulls of the recently refittedRauma-class missile boats and that the vessels would be removed from active duty to prevent further damage until its cause has been found.[8] However, while peacetime use is now limited, the missile boats can be taken back into full service if needed.[9]
In 2018 Finnish Navy announced procurement ofIAI'sGabriel 5 naval strike missile system. The system will replace the current maritime anti-ship missile85M (SAAB RBS15) system, which will reach the end of its life cycle in the 2020s. The newPTO2020 missiles will be installed onHamina- andPohjanmaa- class ships and vehicle platforms. The planned life cycle of the system extends to the 2050s. As theFinnish Defence Forces are building multi-branch joint strike capability and Gabriel 5 is capable of strikes to both naval and land domain, the new missile was given designation of PTO2020, (Pinta Torjunta Ohjus 2020 or Surface Strike Missile 2020) instead of old designation(Anti Ship Missile).[10]
In October 2012, The Finnish Navy signed a 34 million euro contract for 12 fast transport boats with an option for more vessels withMarine Alutech, a Finnish company that had also built theUisko- andJurmo-class transport boats. The 19-metre (62 ft)Jehu transport boats can carry 25 troops and have a maximum speed in excess of 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph). Defensive capability is provided by a remotely controlled turret capable of providingfire support during a landing operation.[11][12] The new class of landing craft has been named theJehu class.
The next-generation surface combatant, which will be larger than the current missile boats and more capable for international co-operation, is currently under construction.[13] This new class of multi-purpose naval vessels, referred to asMonitoimialus 2020 ("Multi-purpose vessel 2020") orLaivue 2020 ("Squadron 2020")[14] in the preliminary papers, is intended to replace theHämeenmaa- andPohjanmaa-class minelayers andRauma-class missile boats as they are retired.[15] The goal is to replace seven vessels with four newcorvette-sized surface combatants.[16] In September 2015, theFinnish Minister of DefenceJussi Niinistö officially authorized the Finnish Navy to start developing "Squadron 2020" and an official Request for Information (RFI) was sent to shipyards in December. Consequently, the Finnish Defence Forces signed aletter of intent withRauma Marine Constructions for the construction of four vessels under the "Squadron 2020" program on 14 September 2016.[17] The projected cost of four vessels with a lifespan of at least 35 years is roughly 1.2 billion euro.[18] The new vessels will be called thePohjanmaa class.[19]
On 5 May 2021 the Finnish Ministry of Defence announced that the Finnish Navy was to obtain four Kewatec Work 1920 vessels for delivery between 2022 and 2024. The deal included options for five additional vessels. The contract (including options) is valued 12.8 million Euros.[20]
An additional 17 Jurmo-class vessels were ordered on 29 June 2023.[21]
_NOCO2014_01.JPG)
Coastal forces include both coastal infantry and the Marines (Coastal Jaegers) as well as the remnants of the coastal artillery units, which have moved from fixed and towed guns to truck-mounted and infantry-carriedanti-ship missiles. The towed guns have been phased out as obsolete and all artillery-based coastal defences are to be retired in the near future.
TheEuro-Spike coastal missile system was taken into use in 2005 at theUusimaa Brigade and the older truck-mountedRBS-15 missiles have been complemented with new, upgraded RBS-15 Mk.3 (known asMTO-85M).
The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| NATO code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Finnish Navy[22] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| Amiraali | Vara-amiraali | Kontra-amiraali | Lippueamiraali | Kommodori | Komentaja | Komentajakapteeni | Kapteeniluutnantti | Yliluutnantti | Luutnantti | Aliluutnantti | ||||||||||||||
| Amiral | Viceamiral | Konteramiral | Flottiljamiral | Kommodor | Kommendör | Kommendörkapten | Kaptenlöjtnant | Premiärlöjtnant | Löjtnant | Underlöjtnant | ||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
| NATO code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finnish Navy[22] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sotilasmestari | Ylipursimies | Pursimies | Ylikersantti | Kersantti | Alikersantti | Ylimatruusi | Matruusi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Militärmästare | Överbåtsman | Båtsman | Översergeant | Sergeant | Undersergeant | Övermatros | Matros | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
