Soviet gunboat Krasnoye Znamya
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Type: | Gunboat |
| Class | Krasnoye Znamya class |
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | December 27, 1894 |
| Launched: | November 21, 1895 |
| Commissioned: | 1897 |
| Fate: | Sunk on November 18, 1942, raised, decommissioned in 1960 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,735 tons |
| Length: | 72.26 m |
| Beam: | 13.1 m |
| Draught: | 3.35 m |
| Propulsion: | Two VTE, eight boilers, two shafts. kW (2,100 hp) |
| Speed: | 14.5 knots |
| Range: | 600 nm (at 14 knots) 1,050 nm (at 7 knots) |
| Complement: | 165-201 |
| Armament: | 5× 130 mm/55 1× 40 mm 2× 74 mm 50 mines |
Krasnoye Znamya (Красное Знамя, Red Banner, ex-Khrabryi) was a Soviet gunboat. The ship had been built in the late 19th century as the Khrabryi (Храбрый, Brave). The ship was the only craft of its class. The Krasnoye Znamya was sunk in the harbour of Lavansaari in the Gulf of Finland on November 16, 1942 after a daring attack by Finnish MTBs.
[edit] The sinking of Krasnoye Znamya
During WWI Khrabryi participated in the battles in Baltic sea. It was lightly damaged during the Battle of Moon Sound in 1917. On December 31, 1922 the ship was renamed into Krasnoye Znamya.
After the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940 between Finland and the Soviet Union, the island of Lavansaari had been handed over to the Soviets. During the Continuation War the island was a Soviet naval base and housed a radar station. On November 18, 1942 the three Finnish motor torpedo boats Syöksy, Vinha and Vihuri, as well as a minelaying KM-boat made a daring assault on the harbour of Lavansaari. Syöksy managed to hit the Krasnoye Znamya with one torpedo. She was sunk in her moorings.[1] The Finnish commander of the operation, kapteeniluutnantti Jouko Pirhonen was awarded the Mannerheim Cross because of this success.
The Krasnoye Znamya was salvaged on November 13, 1943 and recommissioned on September 17, 1944. She was finally decommissioned in 1960.
