Drawing by Ron van Maanen
Sister ship was the Kalev which was sunk in October 1941. Her building at the yard of Vickers and Armstrongs Ltd, United Kingdom was ordered on 12 December 1934, on 19 June a year later was she laid down, launched 7 July 1936 and commissioned 14 May 1937 with as home port Tallinn. Estonia refused to hand her over to Germany when this was requested 24 February 1940 but on 18 September of the same year she was taken over by the Soviet Navy still serving under her original name. Of the Estonian crew were then 5 men still on board. Since June of the next year served she in the Soviet Baltic Fleet. After the war she continued being in Soviet Service but was renamed several times as a training boat U-1 (18 June 1946), S-85 (9 June 1949), STZh-24 (30 January 1956 and finally UTS-29 since 27 December 1956 although its possible that she was named PZM-1 somewhere between 1949-1956. Stricken from the Soviet Navy List 10 June 1955 and brought 3 August 1957 to the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard and from there to Gorky. On 27 April 1992 she was handed over to the Estonian government and is nowadays a museum ship.
With a displacement of 665 tons surfaced and 853 tons submerged were her dimensions 59,5 x 7,5 x 3,6 metres. The diving depth was in actual service 90 metres although during test a depth of 120 metres was reached. The steel hull was 12mm thick. The 2 diesel engines provided 1,200 hp and the 2 Electric engines 790 hp allowing a surfaced speed of 13,5 knots and a submerged speed of 8,5 knots. She had a range of 3,700 nautical miles and able to stay at sea for a period of 28 days. While in Estonian service numbered her crew 32 men (including 4 officers), in Soviet service 38 men (including 7 officers). She was armed with 4-21“ bow torpedo tubes and carried with 8 torpedoes, 1-40mm anti aircraft gun, 1-7,7mm machine gun and 24 mines.
