Finnish submarine Saukko

Saukko (Pu110) was a Finnish submarine that served in the Finnish Navy during the second World War. The submarine was designed not to exceed 100 tonnes, since it was planned to be used in Lake Ladoga. However, the final construction was to exceed this limit. According to the Treaty of Tarto of 1920, no nation was allowed to use naval ships over 100 tonnes in the lake. The submarine could be divided into separate sections and be transported by railway. The engines were in the aft section and the batteries in the forward section. The conning tower could be lifted off entirely.

The construction of Saukko

The construction of "Saukko" began in 1928 at Sandvikens shipyard in Helsinki. The submarine was constructed after German drawings for the submarine "Pu110" ("smaller, quickly assemblable submarine prototype"). The submarine was launched on July 2 1930, and it was ready on December 16 1930. At the time of service, it was the world's smallest submarine, weighing only 99 tonnes. "Saukkos" crew consisted of 15 men. The outer hull was designed for ice-going.

Operational history

The plan was to bring "Saukko" to the town of Lahdenpohja at Lake Ladoga via railway, but this plan was never realized. During the Winter War (1939–1940) and the Continuation War (1941–1944), the submarine participated in operations in the Gulf of Finland. In January 1945, after the armistice, the allied control commission ordered all Finnish submarines to be disarmed. "Saukko" was left at Suomenlinna together with the other Finnish submarines until 1953, when it was sold for scrapping to Belgium.

External links

* [http://users.tkk.fi/~jaromaa/Navygallery/Submarines/submarines.htm Finnish submarines]