The ''Sisu''-class motor torpedo boats ( en, Guts) was a series of two

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

MAS type motor torpedo boats 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 ...

. The vessels were constructed in 1916 by the Orlando shipyard in Livorno, Italy. ''Sisu'' and ''Hurja'' were purchased by the Finns in 1920, and saw service in

World War II 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 opposing ...

. When dashing forward at full speed, the vessels sprayed water high in the air, earning the nickname "the fountains" from Finnish sailors. On 1 October 1941 ''Sisu'', together with ''Nuoli'', was patrolling east of

Gogland Gogland or Hogland (russian: Гогланд, transliteration from original sv, Hogland; fi, Suursaari) is an island in the Gulf of Finland in the eastern Baltic Sea, about 180 km west from Saint Petersburg and 35 km from the coas ...

when it came across a large, stationary Soviet

minesweeper 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 ...

of the . ''Sisu'' missed with her first torpedo, having mistaken the foam painted on the minesweeper's bow for an indication that it was actually moving. A second torpedo hit the minesweeper amidship and sank her.

Vessels of the class

;''Sisu'': Ex-''MTV 1'' in Finnish service, and ex-''MAS 220'' in Italian service. She was used as a torpedo boat until 1942, and then transferred to Lake Ladoga, where she served as a patrol vessel. ''Sisu'' was broken up after the war. ;''Hurja'': Ex-''MTV 2'' in Finnish service, and ex-''MAS 221'' in Italian service. She was used as a torpedo boat until 1941. ''Hurja'' was broken up after the war.

References

{{WWII Finnish ships Torpedo boats of the Finnish Navy Ships built in Italy Torpedo boat classes