| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Finland | |
| Name | Louhi |
| Namesake | Louhi |
| Owner | Finnish Navy |
| Builder | Kolomna Shipyard, Moscow, Russia |
| Launched | 1916 |
| Commissioned | 1918 |
| In service | 1918–45 |
| Fate | Sunk by German submarine U-370 on 12 January 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 776 tons |
| Length | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Beam | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Draft | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion | 800 shp (600 kW) |
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 41 |
| Armament | In 1920s:
|
Louhi was a Finnish Navy minelayer. The ship was originally constructed for the Imperial Russian Navy but was taken over by the Finns during the Russian Civil War. She had originally been named Voin, but was renamed as M1 (Miinalaiva 1) in Finnish service. In 1936 she was given the more personal name Louhi, following the procedure of all other major ships in the Finnish navy.[4]
The ship was designed as a minelayer but was not particularly good at it due to its slow speed, bad seakeeping qualities and inadequate storage space. During peacetime, Louhi or M1 was used as depot ship with its storage rooms refitted as crew quarters.[3]
Louhi sunk on 12 January 1945, while returning from a mine laying operation. An explosion at the stern of the ship at 12:50 sank the ship in two minutes, with 11 casualties.
- ^ Kijanen (1968a), p. 111.
- ^ Kijanen (1968b), Supplement I.
- ^ a b Auvinen (1983), p. 35-36.
- ^ Kijanen (1968a), p. 173.