The ''Kalev'' class consisted of two mine laying

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s built for the

Estonian Navy The Estonian Navy ( et, Merevägi) are the unified naval forces among the Estonian Defence Forces. With only six commissioned ships and displacement well under 10,000 tonnes, the Estonian navy is one of the smallest navies in the world. Its shi ...

Development history

The newly independent

Republic of Estonia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

followed the Finnish naval armament program and the common top secret defence cooperation in acquiring submarines. Unlike the German-designed Finnish subs, Estonia opted for British-built submarines. Both boats of the class, and , were built by

Vickers-Armstrong Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927. The majority of the company was nationalised in the 1960s and 1970s, wi ...

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

.Allied Warships - Kalev class
/ref>

Service history

The two subs were ordered in 1934 and delivered in 1937. After the Soviet annexation of Estonia in 1940 the Estonian Navy was integrated into the Soviet

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

. The ''Kalev''-class submarines were commissioned into the Soviet Navy on September 18, 1940. ''Kalev'' was sunk outside Hanko, Finland in 1941, but ''Lembit'' continued a successful campaign against Swedish iron ore transports to Germany. ''Lembit'' was decommissioned in 1979. She is now preserved as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

at the

Estonian Maritime Museum The Estonian Maritime Museum ( et, Eesti Meremuuseum) is located in the Fat Margaret tower in the old town of Tallinn. The museum presents the history of ships and navigation in Estonia and related to Estonia. Other parts of the Maritime Museu ...

Lennusadam (Seaplane harbour/Hydroplane port),

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

As a museum exhibit

References

External links

Submarine ''Lembit''
-

Kalev-class submarine (Kalev or Lembit)

The Vickers Photographic Archive
(search for ''Kalev'')
Lembit Submarine - Tallinn

{{WWII Soviet ships Submarine classes Military history of Estonia

Development history

Service history

As a museum exhibit

See also

References

External links