Isosaari ( sv, Mjölö) is an island in Helsinki, part of the
Ulkosaaret district of the city, more specifically of
Itäsaaret
Itäsaaret (Finnish), Östra holmarna (Swedish) is a southeastern neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land b ...
, i.e. ‘eastern islands’. It was one of the fortified islands of the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
. Isosaari is one of the outermost islands in the
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
region, and it is a site that is important from the perspective of
cultural history
Cultural history combines the approaches of anthropology and history to examine popular cultural traditions and cultural interpretations of historical experience. It examines the records and narrative descriptions of past matter, encompassing the ...
. Its sights and its nature are unique.
General information
The island covers an area of 76 hectares. It is mainly covered by a
coniferous forest
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All exta ...
. The island had a fortress of the
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...
until January 2012, when the training of
conscript
Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
s on the island ceased and the island remained a training ground and a guard fortress.
The island is located 3.8
kilometre
The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is now the measurement unit used for ex ...
s to the south of
Santahamina
Santahamina ( sv, Sandhamn) is an island and neighbourhood of Eastern Helsinki, Finland. At present it is a military base housing the Guard Jaeger Regiment, making access restricted. The Finnish National Defence University (NDU) is also located ...
. It is two kilometres long and one kilometre wide at its widest.
[Otavan Iso tietosanakirja, Otava 1968, vol. 2 p. 1375] The ferry ride from the
Helsinki Market Square takes little over half an hour.
Naval fortress
The island houses a
130 53 TK
130 53 TK or 130 TK ("130 mm rifled, 53 length caliber, turret gun") is a Finnish fixed, heavy artillery piece, manufactured by Tampella. The caliber is 130 mm. The 130 53 TK is the main weapon of the Finnish coastal artillery.
The maximum f ...
Coastal artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
battery, a
maritime surveillance {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities.
Maritime patrol refers to ac ...
station and a
corrosion
Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...
laboratory
A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...
of the
Aalto University
Aalto University ( fi, Aalto-yliopisto; sv, Aalto-universitetet) is a public research university located in Espoo, Finland. It was established in 2010 as a merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the He ...
.
![Rannikkotykki 130 53 TK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Rannikkotykki_130_53_TK.JPG)
The fortification works on Isosaari were begun in 1913. The batteries with heavy guns were completed in 1915. Since then the island fortress played a significant role in the evolution of coastal artillery in Finland and in the defense of capital of the nation. When the training of conscripts ended in Isosaari, it was transferred to the
Upinniemi
Upinniemi ( sv, Obbnäs) is a village in the municipality of Kirkkonummi in southern Finland. It is located approximately 12 km south of the municipal centre.
Upinniemi is dominated by the naval base (formerly the Porkkala Naval Base), which ...
garrison.
During the independence of Finland, the Isosaari fortress was a unit under the
Suomenlinna Coastal Regiment
Suomenlinna (; until 1918 Viapori, ), or Sveaborg (), is an inhabited sea fortress the Suomenlinna district is on eight islands of which six have been fortified; it is about 4 km southeast of the city center of Helsinki, the capital of Finl ...
, responsible for the training of conscripts and all other functions on the island.
Training of conscripts
A total of ca. 300 conscripts were trained on the island every year. As of 2012, this training ended, but various special courses are still held on the island. On these courses, firing position men, marines, maritime surveillance men, fortress launchers and
military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
were trained. In addition to these, firing position NCOs were trained, as well as logistics men, scribes, headquarter couriers and gunsmiths.
The fortress was responsible for its own standby troops, and due to the small number of conscripts, they had fewer weekend leaves than other conscripts in the country, and during the evenings they were not allowed to travel to the mainland. The standby functions included guard duty, maritime surveillance, and the ability to fire warning shots from one of the 130 mm cannons on the island.
In addition to this, the men of the fortress were responsible for guard duty at the
Naval Academy
A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers.
See also
* Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...
on the island of
Pikku-Musta in
Suomenlinna
Suomenlinna (; until 1918 Viapori, ), or Sveaborg (), is an inhabited sea fortress the Suomenlinna district is on eight islands of which six have been fortified; it is about 4 km southeast of the city center of Helsinki, the capital of Finla ...
. The military police of the fortress was responsible for many standby tasks. Marine surveillance based on sensory perception has been discontinued, just as it has on other fortresses in Finland.
The
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (which i ...
are responsible for the guarding of the island as well as its logistics and transportation to and from the island. In the old days, boats came to the island from
Santahamina
Santahamina ( sv, Sandhamn) is an island and neighbourhood of Eastern Helsinki, Finland. At present it is a military base housing the Guard Jaeger Regiment, making access restricted. The Finnish National Defence University (NDU) is also located ...
three times a day.
The weather and maritime surveillance station
During 1984–2008 the Defence Forces operated a weather station on the island, making observations on behalf of the
Finnish Meteorological Institute
The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI; fi, Ilmatieteen laitos; sv, Meteorologiska institutet) is the government agency responsible for gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Finland. It is a part of the Ministry of Transport ...
. The weather observations were made by conscripts, who had been trained in the
Artillery Brigade in Niinisalo. Every three hours they sent a
SYNOP
SYNOP (surface synoptic observations) is a numerical code (called FM-12 by WMO) used for reporting weather observations made by manned and automated weather stations. SYNOP reports are typically sent every six hours by Deutscher Wetterdienst on ...
telegram, which included information on the temperature, the relative humidity, wind speed and direction, quality of clouds and their lower limit and total number, as well as the barometer reading, visibility and meteorological phenomena.
On its 24th anniversary, on 1 October 2008, the Isosaari weather station ceased it operations. Before 1984, the weather station was located on
Katajaluoto. There are still automated weather stations on the sea outside Helsinki, e. g. in the
Harmaja Lighthouse
Harmaja ( sv, Gråhara) is an island and a lighthouse outside Helsinki, south of the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The island has been functioning as a landmark since the 16th century. A landmark structure was built on the island in the 18th centur ...
.
The coastal surveillance station at the southern tip of the island is known as "Rikama", in honour of Colonel
Johan Rikama. Actually, Rikama did not have anything to do with the coastal surveillance station, but he was actively involved in the development of the country's coastal defense and especially of the fire control of the coastal artillery. His ashes were scattered to the south of Isosaari, and a stone was erected on its southern shore in his memory. Memorial plaques for him and Lieutenant General
Eino Järvinen can be found on the stone. Järvinen died while participating in the inauguration ceremony of the stone.
The grave of George Quinnell
The grave of the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
Able seaman
An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...
George Quinnell is located on Isosaari. He participated in 1855 in what is in Finland known as the
Åland War
The Åland War ( fi, Oolannin sota, sv, Åländska kriget) is the Finnish term for the operations of a British-French naval force against military and civilian facilities on the coast of the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1854–1856, during the Crime ...
, the British and French naval campaign on the shores of Finland in connection with the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
, as part of the crew of ''
HMS Amphion (1846)''. The ''Amphion'' was trying to sound the Viipuri Channel, but encountered fire from both
Santahamina
Santahamina ( sv, Sandhamn) is an island and neighbourhood of Eastern Helsinki, Finland. At present it is a military base housing the Guard Jaeger Regiment, making access restricted. The Finnish National Defence University (NDU) is also located ...
and Matosaari in
Laajasalo
Laajasalo ( sv, Degerö) is a group of islands that forms a East Helsinki, Southeast Helsinki's Subdivisions of Helsinki#Neighbourhoods, neighbourhood in southern Helsinki, the capital of Finland. As of 2018, it had a population of 18 876.
File: ...
, as well as from five gun boats. One cannonball from Santahamina hit Quinnell in the head, and took it to the sea. The corpse was identified from the
insignia
An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body.
On its own, an insignia is a sign of a specific or general authority and is ...
. He was one of the few British casualties in the operation in the Helsinki waters. The body was buried in Isosaari, as the dead could not be transported home without serious health hazards. Quinnell was 35 when he died.
A wooden cross was placed on the grave, with the text: "Sacred to the memory of George Quinnell. I. H. S." Towards the end of the century, a British wife of a Finnish merchant erected a permanent stone on the grave, on to which the text was copied. Representatives of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and the
British ambassador to Finland with his spouse have placed a
wreath
A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle .
In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...
on the grave on the occasions of the 100th and 150th anniversaries of the battle. Tradition says that Quinnell's widow haunts the grave, which has now become a site of interest for tourists.
Prison camp
In 1918, the
Isosaari Prison Camp was operated on the island, to which members of the
Red Guards
Red Guards () were a mass student-led paramilitary social movement mobilized and guided by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 through 1967, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a Red Guard lead ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n soldiers were placed. It was a place where the Whites placed especially prisoners who were considered to be "politically dangerous". More than 300 prisoners died on the island. Most of the dead were buried in Santahamina, with only a fraction buried in Isosaari. A black stone was erected in 1955 in the memory of those who died on the camp. It is located on the grounds of the former prisoner camp, on the likely site of the mass grave.
Tourism
In 2017,
Senate Properties sv, Senatfastigheter
, logo = Senate logo.gif
, type = Liikelaitos Senate Properties 2009(Finnish). (≈ unincorporated entity, unincorporated state-owned enterprise) Ministry of Finance 2009. Senate Properties 2009/ref ...
(Finland) rented out the island and its buildings to Suomen Saaristokuljetus so that year-round tourism could be developed on the island. The island was opened to the public in June 2017. It is expected to become a popular destination for visitors and tourists, especially during the summer.
The island has two restaurants, two beaches for swimming, a shooting range, a barracks building, three saunas next to the shore and a number of quarters for the staff. The island also houses a 9-hole "golf course", where the public can play golf. Cruises for golfing are arranged on Mondays.
[Armeijalla on Suomen vaativin par-3 kenttä]
retreaved 2 July 2011 As of 2017, only one person resided regularly on the island. He was born on the island in 1949.
References
{{reflist
External links
Isosaari home pages
Finnish garrisons
Finnish Navy
Gulf of Finland
Neighbourhoods of Helsinki
Islands of Helsinki