Keihässalmi ( pennant number "05") 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 ...

. She was commissioned in 1957 and remained in service until 1994, after which she was turned into a museum ship in

Turku 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''; ...

. The vessel was named after the strait of Keihässalmi, which is located in

Sipoo Sipoo (; sv, Sibbo) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The administrative center of the munic ...

. ''Keihässalmi'' was the first Finnish minelayer to be constructed after

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 ...

. ''Keihässalmi'' was designed according to lessons learned from the ''Ruotsinsalmi'' class minelayers, but with increased size and tonnage. It was stronger, more seaworthy and faster than its predecessor. The construction took place from 1956 to 1957 at the Valmet Oy shipyard in Helsinki. The sinking of the minelayer ''Riilahti'' in 1943 had left a big gap in Finnish mine warfare capabilities, and a new vessel was needed. It would last until the mid-1950s before this was addressed, due to the harsh after-war conditions and war-payments which included many ships to be constructed at Finnish shipyards. The ''Keihässalmi'' was fitted with almost all weapons systems available to the Finnish Navy (except torpedoes), although she primarily was a

and

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 ...

. ''Keihässalmi'' was launched on 16 March 1957 and the vessel remained the largest vessel of the Finnish Navy until 1962, when the frigate ''Matti Kurki'' was purchased. It was also used as a sort of test-bed for multiple systems. At one point a 75 mm gun was fitted to the ship, as the Finnish Navy lacked designated gunships. The ship was also used for training, and was sent out on trips every sailing season. The ''Keihässalmi'' was cheap to operate and required a low complement (important as the Finnish Navy had a manpower restriction), but the vessel proved itself over the decades. The ship underwent repairs and refitting from 1975 until 1981, when its seaworthiness was improved by the installment of ballast tanks. The forward mine section was slightly modified to allow the vessel travel in high seas. The weaponry was modernized and the gunlaying was now radar-guided. ''Keihässalmi'' was the flagship of the Finnish Navy and she made many visits to other countries in the 1960s. She was the official school ship of the navy from 1975 until 1979, awaiting the replacement for the ''Matti Kurki''. ''Keihässalmi'' was retired and turned into a museum ship in 1994. She is currently on display at the Forum Marinum museum in

References

Forum Marinum: Minelayer ''Keihässalmi''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keihassalmi Valmet Minelayers of the Finnish Navy Ships built in Helsinki 1957 ships Museum ships in Finland Tourist attractions in Turku Museum ships in Turku