SS ''Kuru'' was a

steam ship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships c ...

which sank on 7 September 1929 in the lake

Näsijärvi Näsijärvi () is a lake above sea level, in the Pirkanmaa region of southern Finland. Näsijärvi is the biggest lake in the Tampere area at in size. The city of Tampere was built along the Tammerkoski rapids, through which the lake drains in ...

, in

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclo ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

. The sinking is still the most severe maritime disaster in Finnish lakes or rivers. It led to the loss of 136 lives, according to the passenger counts and the officers; most sources frequently list the death toll as 138. There were 150 passengers and 12 crew members. One of the drowned was the Member of the Parliament

Ida Vihuri Ida Johanna Vihuri (born Hildén, 18 August 1882 – 7 September 1929) was a Finnish politician. She was a member of the Parliament of Finland 1922–1929 for the Social Democratic Party of Finland. Life and career Vihuri was born to a peasant ...

. The ship capsized due to heavy wind – 8 Beauforts (), and there were some claims of up to 11.5 Beauforts. The capsizing was mostly due to an overly-high centre of gravity; in 1927, a third deck level had been added without expert help or inspecting the balance of the ship. The big waves brought water onto the deck, and the water couldn't flow away. The wreck was raised in the same year and repaired; the ship had suffered only minor damage. Some cabin structures were removed to improve the balance. She served in use until 1939. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, the ship served as a part of the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

Satakunta Flotilla The Satakundskaya Flotilla (russian: Сатакундская флотилия, Satakundskaya flotilla) was a brown-water navy unit of the Imperial Russian Navy, operating on Lake Näsijärvi, Finland, during the First World War from spring 191 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuru, SS Kuru, SS Kuru, SS Kuru Ships of the Imperial Russian Navy 1929 in Finland