VÄINÄMÖINEN - FIŃSKI PANCERNIK OBRONY WYBRZEŻA

Väinämöinen was a Finnish coastal defense battleship from the interwar period and World War II. The keel for this unit was laid in 1929, the launch took place in April 1932, and the entry into service - in December of the same year. The total length of the unit was 93 meters and a width of 16.9 meters. The maximum speed was around 14-15 knots. The ship's armament included: 4 254 mm guns, 8 105 mm guns and 4 40 mm AA guns. Väinämöinen was the sister ship of the battleship Ilmarinen. Both units are the largest ships in the history of the Finnish navy so far, they were also responsible primarily for the defense of the Finnish coasts and were not designed with sea or ocean shipping in mind. Attempts were made to place the most powerful artillery weapons and thick armor on them, which to a large extent succeeded, but at the cost of stability and a tendency to wobble after a broadside salvo. Väinämöinen was built at the shipyard in Turku, and in the period 1932-1939 it was mainly attended by MW of various courtesy visits. The unit also took part in the Winter War with the Soviet Union (1939-1940) and in the course of the so-called the continuation war (1941-1944). After the end of hostilities, the ship was handed over to the USSR under the name of Vyborg, where it served until 1966.