The ''Pansio''-class minelayers are a three-strong class of

mine warfare vessel 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 ve ...

s used by 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 for ...

, built between 1991 and 1992. The vessels can also be used for transport or to supply the naval forts. The vessels can carry a 100-ton load. The ships are referred to as "mine ferries" in the Finnish Navy.

Mid-life upgrade

The three vessels went through a mid-life upgrade between 2015 and 2017, and are now expected to serve until the 2030s. The upgrades included new main and auxiliary engines, as well as a new high-pressure fire extinguishing system. The vessels were also equipped with a

Saab Trackfire The Saab Trackfire is a Remote Weapon Station (RWS), i.e. a remotely operated weaponized system that can be fitted with either medium or light caliber weapons. It can be mounted to vehicles, ships and stationary platforms. It is manufactured by Saab ...

remote weapon station A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), or remote weapon station (RWS), also known as a remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated weaponized system often equipped with fire-control system for light and medium- caliber weapons which c ...

with a 7.62 mm

PKM machine gun The PK (russian: Пулемёт Калашникова, transliterated as ''Pulemyot Kalashnikova'', or "Kalashnikov's machine gun"), is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge. Designed in the Sov ...

and a 40 mm

Heckler & Koch GMG The GMG (''Granatmaschinengewehr'' or "grenade machine gun") is an automatic grenade launcher developed by Heckler & Koch for the German Army. It is also often referred to as GMW or GraMaWa (''Granatmaschinenwaffe''). Design details The GMG f ...

. The two Sako twin-barreled 23 mm/87 (modified

ZU-23-2 The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23×152mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for ''Zenitnaya Ustanovka'' (Russian: Зенитная Установка) – anti-aircraft mount. The GRAU index is 2A13. Developm ...

) were removed.

Service

On 24 August 2022 ''Pyhäranta'' ran aground in the

Archipelago Sea The Archipelago Sea ( fi, Saaristomeri, sv, Skärgårdshavet) is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters. By some definitions it contains the largest ar ...

, off

Turku, Finland Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; 16 ...

. Her hull was holed.

List of ships

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pansio Mine warfare vessel classes Minelayers of the Finnish Navy Minelayers of Finland Ships built in Finland