Estonian naval forces

Estonian Navy Creation

The first units of the Estonian Navy - the Department of the Navy of the headquarters of the Estonian Armed Forces and the battalion of the Navy, were formed on February 28, 1918 and ceased their activities in connection with the occupation of Estonia by the German army that began in the same month, which lasted until November 1918 .

In November 1918, the Estonian Defense Union ( Estonian Kaitseliit - Kaitseliit ), consisting of volunteers, began organizing the defense of the republic’s maritime borders.

On November 13, 1918, the first patrol ship received the name “Laine” ( Est. Laine - “Wave”) from the German fleet . The first warship of the Estonian fleet was the gunboat with powerful artillery “Lembit” ( Est. “Lembit” ), a former Russian gunboat of the Gilyak-II type , renamed in honor of the Estonian elder Lembit , who led the Estonian tribes in 1211 against the invading Estonian lands of the German Brotherhood of the Warriors of Christ ( Order of the Swordsmen ).

At the end of December 1918, the destroyers of the Soviet Baltic Fleet , Spartak and Avtroil, were captured by English ships near Revel . They were taken to Tallinn and transferred to Estonia. Under the names Lennuk and Vambola , they served in the Estonian navy for several years, after which they were sold to Peru .

Estonian Navy in the Estonian War of Independence 1918-1920

The main forces of the Estonian fleet consisted of destroyers Lennuk (formerly Avtroil) and Vambola (formerly Captain 1st Rank Miklouho-Maclay, in the Red Fleet Spartak), captured by English ships and transferred to Estonia, as well as from a small number of vessels and boats mobilized between 1914 and 1919 both in the Baltic and Lake Peipsi , used as gunboats , minesweepers , mine loaders , etc.

With the help of these ships, Captain Johan Pitka carried out several landings in the rear of the Red Army , the most successful and largest of which was the Russian landing in the vicinity of the village of Udria , and the ensuing battle with the superior forces of the Red Army , which took place on January 17-19, 1919 , the purpose of which was to support the movement of the ground forces in the direction of Narva and the capture of the cities of Gungerburg and Narva . The landing party left Kund on January 17, and six Estonian Navy ships, led by the Lennuk destroyer, took part in it. The airborne unit was formed by the airborne battalion (about 400 soldiers) and the 1st detachment of Finnish volunteers (about 600 people). The enemy had in this area units of the 6th and 10th Infantry Division , a total of about 1,500 people. The landing party in Udria in two groups: January 17 from 13:30 to 18:40 hours to 250 fighters, and the rest January 17 late in the evening from 23 hours to 11 hours on January 18 . As a result of the landing, Udria was captured on January 18 at 11 a.m. the city of Gungerburg (now Narva-Jõesuu) and on January 19 by 9 a.m. the city of Narva .

Estonian Navy in 1920-1940

After the sale of destroyers of Peru in 1933 , in May 1935, by order of the Estonian government, the English company Vickers-Armstrong began construction at the shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness ( Cumbria county) of two modern submarines of the Kalev - Lembit and Kalev type . On July 7, 1936, both boats were launched and, after arriving in Tallinn , made up the division of submarine mine loaders.

Estonian Navy combat personnel at the time of Estonia's accession to the USSR in 1940

The inclusion of Estonian Navy ships in the USSR Navy in 1940

Due to the accession of the Republic of Estonia to the USSR , on August 19, 1940, the Soviet naval flag was hoisted on the ships and vessels of the Estonian Navy and they were included in the Baltic Fleet of the USSR Navy . In this regard, the ships experienced an almost complete renewal of the crew . The new crew members were trained to work with unfamiliar Soviet submarine equipment by the remaining sailors from Estonian crews.

In 1940, the NKVD authorities arrested 43 officers of the Estonian Navy.

At the beginning of 1941, Kalev along with Lembit relocated to Libava ( Latvian SSR ), with the rest of the vessels the main places of basing did not change.

Construction and state of the Estonian Navy during independence after 1991

After the declaration of independence of Estonia in 1991, the Estonian Armed Forces were formed, which included the naval forces.

During 1992 and the first half of 1993, Estonia received 8 boats from Germany and one ship from Sweden ^[6] .

On July 1, 1993, a maritime department was established at the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces . The following year, the Estonian Navy Headquarters was created.

In June 1994, the first 15 troops who received special training at the Tallinn Border College were sent to serve in the Estonian Navy.

In August 1994, ships of the Russian Navy left Minnaya Harbor in Tallinn and the Estonian Navy took control of the former Baltic Fleet base that was previously there.

In 1995, Finland handed over the Estonian border ship “ Viima ” (received a new name - “ Maru ”) to Estonia.

In the mid-1990s, a Magen type patrol boat, called A431 Ahti , was received from Denmark.

In 1997, the United States donated the Valvas coast guard boat to Estonia for free ^[7] .

In 1998, Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania created a common squadron of minesweepers “Baltron” , whose tasks include the search and elimination of sea ​​mines still remaining in the Baltic Sea since World War II ^[8] , increasing the security of territorial waters and helping to detection and elimination of environmental damage in the territorial waters and economic zones of the Baltic states .

As of the beginning of 1998, the total number of the Estonian Navy was 160 people, two minesweepers, three patrol boats and two auxiliary vessels were in service. ^[9]

In mid-1999, two patrol boats, the Ristna and the Suurop , were received from Finland ^[10]

As of the beginning of 2000, the total number of the Estonian Navy was 340 people, one Magen patrol ship, two Frauenlob mine-sweeping ships (Kalev and Olev), and two patrol boats of the Arsenal type were in service. Condor ”, two Project 1400 patrol boats and three auxiliary vessels ^[11] .

In 2003, the third mine-sweeping ship of the Frauenlob (Wyndlo) type was received from Germany for free ^[12]

Also, in 2003, a military training center was opened for training personnel of the Navy ^[13]

As of 2006 , the number of Estonian Navy was 335 people ^[14] , in 2007–331 (including 123 military servicemen) ^[15] .

In August 2012, the new multi-functional ecological vessel Kindral Kurvits, worth 33 million euros, was built in Finland in the marine fleet of the Estonian border troops. The vessel allows rescue operations, cleaning of the water area from pollution even in severe weather conditions, and is capable of moving in conditions of chemical disasters. The construction was financed by the European Regional Development Fund (allocated 28 121 005 euros), and the Estonian state (invested 4 959 523 euros ^[16] .

Organizational naval forces of Estonia include:

Navy Headquarters ( Est. Mereväe Staap ) ^[17]

  Naval Base ( Est. Mereväebaas ) ^[18]

  Mine Ship Division ( Estonian Miinilaevade Divisjon ) ^[19]

  Diving and support ship "Tasuya"

  Admiral Coven Mine Minesweeper

  Minesweeper-seeker Sakala mines

  Ugandi Mine Minesweeper

  A group of miners ( Est. EOD tuukrigrupp ) ^[20]

• Navy Tallinn (main, Navy headquarters)

Navy

Ships and vessels of the Estonian Navy have the prefix EML ( Est. Eesti Mereväe Laev - Estonian Naval Ship).

The Estonian Navy introduced a standard according to which a ship or vessel has a side number with a Latin letter in accordance with the class of the ship: M - Mine ship , A - Auxiliary ship ( Eng. Auxiliary - auxiliary) .

Official Flags

Admirals and officers

Sub-Officers and Sailors

Headgear Signs

•  

  On a cap for admirals and officers
•  

  On a cap for podofitserov
•  

  On a cap for sailors
•  

  On the field and winter hat

• Project BALTRON
• Rear Admiral Johan Pitka

Estonian Navy Historic Ships

• 1918 - 1919 Johan Pitka
• 11/28/1919 - 03/01/1925 Johannes Herm
• 1925-1932 Herman Salz
• 03/15/1932 - 11/01/1938 Valentin Martin Grents
• 1938–20.09.1939 Valev Mere (Martson Vasily
• 11/07/1939 - 1940 Johannes Santpunk

After 1991

• 1994 - 1998 Roland Leith
• Jaan Kapp
• Igor Shvede
• 07/23/2012 - Stan Sepper.

• Gaiduk A.A., Lapshin R.V. Naval forces of the Baltic states 1918-1940 St. Petersburg: Galeia Print, 2009
• Petrov P.V. Estonian Navy (1918-1940) (Russian) // Typhoon: Military Technical Almanac. - 2003. - No. 1 (45) . - S. 30-43 .
• Baltic Powers in the Gulf of Finland // Foreign Military Review, 1, 1994. pp. 61-62
• Baltic Powers in the Gulf of Finland // Foreign Military Review, 2, 1994. pp. 63-64

• Official page of the Estonian Navy (est.)
• List of ships of the Navy of Estonia
• Flags of the Estonian Navy (Est.)