Estonian gunboat Pikker

Model of the ship Pikker at the Estonian Maritime Museum
History
Estonia
NamePikker
BuilderTallinna Sadamatehased[1]
Launched1939
Commissioned1940
DecommissionedOctober 29, 1940
Soviet Union
NamePikker, Пиккер and others
CommissionedOctober 29, 1940
Decommissioned1961
 Soviet Union
NameMoskowskij Uniwiersitiet (Московский университет)
Commissioned1961
Decommissioned1972
Fatescrapped in 1978[2] or 1976[3]
General characteristics
Class and typegunboat, yacht[3]
Displacement
  • standard: 500 t (1,100,000 lb)
  • full: 540 t (1,190,000 lb)
Length58 m (190 ft 3 in)
Draft2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Propulsion
  • 1,900 hp (1,398 kW):[3] 2 diesel engines manufactured by Deutsche Werke Kiel[1]
  • 2 propellers[3]
Speed18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)[1]
Complement
Sensors and
processing systems		radar (from 1948)[1]
Armament
  • 2 x 75 mm L/50 guns (until 1941)
  • 3 x 45 mm guns (from 1941 to 1946)
  • 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns
  • 1 x anti-aircraft Lewis gun
  • depth charge thrower (optional)

Pikker was an Estonian gunboat of original design from World War II, built in Tallinn with funds from a public collection. It served in the Estonian Navy and in the Soviet Navy, where it participated in the evacuation of Tallinn during World War II. The ship operated in the Baltic Sea from 1940 to 1946, after which it was assigned to the Black Sea Fleet, where it served as an exclusive yacht for Soviet leaders. In 1961, it was transferred as a research vessel to Moscow State University.

  1. ^ a b c d Malinowski & Myszor (2010, p. 65)
  2. ^ Malinowski & Myszor (2010, pp. 66–67)
  3. ^ a b c d Ehlers, Hartmut (2012). "Marynarka Wojenna i Paramilitarne Siły Morskie Estonii 1918-1940". Okręty Wojenne (in Polish). 1 (111). Tarnowskie Góry: 46–49. ISSN 1231-014X.