''Ruotsinsalmi'' was a

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing control ...

of the

Finnish Navy The Finnish Navy ( fi, Merivoimat, sv, Marinen) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short f ...

and the namesake of her class. ''Ruotsinsalmi'' was commissioned in 1940 and remained in service until 1975. The vessel was named after the battle of Ruotsinsalmi, which was fought between Sweden and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

in 1790.

New minelayers for the navy

Funding for two new minelayers had been secured as early as in 1937, but instead the money was used to refurbish the garrison at Mäkiluoto. ''Ruotsinsalmi'' and her sister vessel, , were intended as escort

minesweepers A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

for the Finnish navy's coastal defence ships and , and they were therefore designed with a draught of only . ''Ruotsinsalmi'' was armed with one gun, one

Bofors 40 mm gun Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

s and two

Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon The 20 mm AA Machine Cannon M/38 was a 20 mm rapid fire autocannon produced by the Danish company Dansk Industri Syndikat (DISA). The gun, which could be adapted to several tactical uses, was a primary weapon of the military of Denmark. ...

s. The vessel had three mine dropping rails, and could carry about 100 mines. The ship could also hunt submarines, and was equipped with

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...

, depth charge throwers and rails. The vessel was also strong enough to be able to tow mine sweeping equipment. It was equipped with smoke generators so it could protect itself and other near-by vessels from the enemy.

During the Continuation War

''Ruotsinsalmi'' and ''Riilahti'' began mining the Gulf of Finland on 26 June 1941, immediately after the outbreak of the

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

. The first minefield, ''Kipinola'', ''Ruotsinsalmi'' laid together with ''Riilahti'' south-east of Hanko which was intended to block Soviet seaways to Hanko. Same group laid already on 27 June the next minefield, ''Kuolemajärvi'', north-west of Paldiski again to block route to Hanko. Another one, ''Valkjärvi'', was laid on 29–30 June. ''Ruotsinsalmi'' together with ''Riilahti'' participated in ferrying the Finnish gunboats past Hanko in August 1941. After two failed attempts by gunboats to rendezvous with minelayers on the nights of 25-26 and 27–28 August the minelayers penetrated the Soviet minefield and met with the gunboats west of Hanko and then escorted them through to Helsinki on 29 August 1941. ''Ruotsinsalmi'' again with ''Riilahti'' were sent on 21 November to as minesweeping escorts for convoy of German ships consisting of two tugs and a depot ship headed to west through the Soviet minebarrier south of Hanko. However, in the dark the convoy deviated from the swept route and as the sweeping gear became entangled with mines it had stop. Before the convoy managed to resume its journey, tug ''Föhn'' slipped outside the swept area and sank after hitting a mine but the rest of the convoy reached its destination. The voyage back through the minebarrier with a convoy of freighters started at midnight of 3 December after the escort group had been strengthened with German minesweepers ''M 4'' and ''M 7'' and it took place without any incidents. ''Ruotsinsalmi'' was Finland's most active minelayer during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, laying a total of 3,967

sea mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any v ...

s and 541 sweeping obstacles. She was forced to lay mines against the Germans after the end of the hostilities with the Soviet Union in an attempt to hinder German submarine activity. She participated in the sinking of one Soviet submarine ''Shch-408'' on 25 May 1943 (along with VMV 6).

After the war

''Ruotsinsalmi'' had proven to be a sound design and well suited for its task. However, it continued to serve a number of different missions after the war. The ship ended its career as a diving support vessel (1973–1975). She was mothballed in Upinniemi, and there were plans to make her into a museum, but she was scrapped at the beginning of the 1990s, after the owners had failed to gather enough funds.

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Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruotsinsalmi Minelayers of the Finnish Navy 1940 ships