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''Tuuli'' was a hovercraft built for the Finnish Navy. Originally intended to be the lead vessel of a class of four combat hovercraft, she was never officially commissioned and after having been laid up for the most of her career, she was broken up in 2013. == Development== ''Tuuli'' was built at the Aker Finnyards Rauma shipyard in Rauma, Finland. Named after a decommissioned ''Tuima''-class (modified Soviet OSA-II) missile boat, she was intended to be the lead vessel of a class of four combat hovercraft that would form part of ''Squadron 2000'' ((フィンランド語:Laivue 2000)), a vessel procurement program of the Finnish Navy. Before naming, the hovercraft were referred to as the T-2000 class. The hovercraft were intended to be used as mobile missile platforms that would be able to navigate and perform surprise attacks in the fractured Finnish archipelago. It was an attack vessel, not a landing craft or transport. Since the seas around Finland usually freeze over in the winter, parts of the archipelago cannot be navigated by conventional surface combatants and are accessible only by air or with a hovercraft. The Finnish Border Guard operates patrol and search-and-rescue hovercraft in these water. However, the focus of the Finnish Navy was redefined as long-term protection of merchant marine traffic, and ''Hamina''-class missile boats with better operational-endurance were selected in ''Tuuli''s stead. As a result, only the prototype vessel was built and never officially commissioned. Tuuli was completed in 2002. Her trial runs proved a success and her specified capacity and maximum speed were exceeded. On 19 December 2003, it was announced that the ''Tuuli'' class would not enter active service and the prototype vessel would be presented for sale. There was foreign interest towards purchasing ''Tuuli'', but no further details have been given. The vessel was stored at the Upinniemi base. On 10 July 2013, it was announced that ''Tuuli'' would be scrapped as no suitable buyer has been found.〔(Merivoimat luopuu kahdesta aluksestaan ). Turun Sanomat, 10 July 2013. 〕 She was broken up in October 2013. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Finnish hovercraft Tuuli」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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