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''Vesikko'' is a submarine (the single ship of her class), which was launched on 10 May 1933 at the Crichton-Vulcan dock in Turku. Until 1936 it was named by its manufacturing codename CV 707. ''Vesikko'' was ordered by a Dutch engineering company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw (a German front company) in 1930 as a commercial submarine prototype. Purchased by the Finnish before the war, she saw service in the Winter War and World War II, sinking the Soviet merchant ship ''Vyborg'' as her only victory. After the cease-fire with the Allies in 1944, ''Vesikko'' was retired. Finland was banned from operating submarines after the war and she was kept in storage until she was turned into a museum ship (still extant as of 2015). ''Vesikko'' was one of five submarines to serve in the Finnish Navy. The other four were the three larger Vetehinen-class boats ''Vetehinen'', ''Vesihiisi'', ''Iku-Turso'' and the small ''Saukko''. The word "vesikko" is the Finnish name for the European mink. ==Development and design== ''Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw'' (IvS), was a German front company in the Netherlands, established to secretely design a new German submarine fleet. According to the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty after World War I, Germany was banned from building and operating submarines among other "offensive" weaponry. This resulted in moving the armaments' research to foreign countries. For example, German tanks and aircraft were tested and developed in the Soviet Union. Therefore, unlike the other submarines in the Finnish Navy, ''Vesikko'' was not part of the Naval Act. Instead, it was part of the secret rebuilding of the German Navy, the Reichsmarine. The objective of Germans was to design a modern submarine type to be used during general mobilization; technology and standards were to be new and not based on World War I designs. For this purpose two prototypes were built, E1 in Spain and CV 707 in Finland. The latter was later chosen as a first submarine type for the new fleet. Construction of both of these experimental submarines was funded by the Reichsmarine. Commander Karl Bartenbach, who had retired from active service in the Reichsmarine, worked as secret liaison officer in Finland. His official title was Naval Expert of the Finnish Defence Forces, and it was under his leadership that the 496-ton ''Vetehinen''-class and the 100-ton ''Saukko'' were built in Finland. Both submarine types were designed by IvS. For the German Navy, his mission was to oversee the developing and construction of a 200–250 ton submarine, which would still equal the combat effectiveness of the ''Vetehinen''-class. The whole task was named The Lilliput Project. The official decision allowing ''Vesikko'' to be constructed in Finland was made in 1930 after several meetings with the Finnish Government. Since The Liliput Project broke the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty, there was no mention of Germany in the agreement, and it was decided that the new submarine could only be sold to nations belonging to the League of Nations. The would-be buyers also had to have the rights to own such a weapon. The Finnish Government gained primary rights to purchase the submarine. The construction of CV 707 begun in 1931 at the Crichton-Vulcan dock in Turku. At the time of its construction, CV 707 was one of the most advanced submarine designs. For example, the maximum depth was over twice that of earlier German submarines, and its hull could be built completely by electric welding. By eliminating rivets there was increased resistance to water pressure, decreased oil leakages, and the construction process was faster. Germans tested CV 707 in the Archipelago of Turku during 1933–34. ''Vesikko'' was a prototype for the German Type II submarines. Six Type IIA submarines (U-1 to U-6) which were almost identical to ''Vesikko'' were built in the Deutsche Werke dock in Kiel, and after these, 44 Type IIB, IIC, and IID submarines were built before and during World War II. 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 submarine Vesikko」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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