User:IrishRhino/sandbox
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | list error: <br /> list (help) Strathardle (1910—1916) Harold Dollar (1916—1927) Glenbeath (1927—1932) Eestirand (1932—1941) VT-532 (1941) |
| Owner | list error: <br /> list (help) Steam Ship Co., Ltd. (Burrell & Son), Glasgow (1910—1916) Dollar Steamship Lines, Ltd, San Francisco (1916—1927) Waverly Shipping Company, Ltd., Glasgow (1927—1932) Estonian Fisheries, Tallinn (1932—1941) |
| Operator | Boris Nelke (1941) |
| Builder | list error: <br /> list (help) A. McMillan & Son Ltd Dumbarton, Scotland |
| Completed | 1910 |
| Fate | Sunk on 24 August 1945 by German aircraft |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Steel bodied two-masted steamship |
| Tonnage | 4,377 GRT |
| Length | 114.7 m (376 ft) |
| Beam | 15.9 m (52 ft) |
| Draught | 6.9 m (23 ft) |
| Installed power | Steam |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 1 x triple expansion engine two masts |
| Speed | 9.5 kn (10.9 mph) |
The SS Eestirand (Estonian Coast), built in 1910, was an Estonian steel-bodied steam ship freighter. During World War II it served as a Russian Navy transport vessel and was subsequently sunk in 1941 near Prangli Island during the Soviet evacuation of Tallinn in 1941.
History
The ship was built in 1910 by A. McMillan & Son Ltd. in Dumbarton, Scotland. It was originally named Starthardle and served the Burell & Son Steamship Line[1] in Glasgow for six years before it was sold to Scottish-American shipping magnate Robert Dollar in 1916, where it served the Dollar Steamship Lines as the Harold Dollar, ferrying trade goods between New York and the Asia.[2]
In 1932, it was sold to an Estonian fishing company in 1932 and was renamed Eestirand operating out of the port of Tallinn, Estonia and was refitted for the fishing trade. At the time, it was the largest ship in the Estonian merchant fleet.
Service in World War II
During World War II, the Eestirand was pressed into service to the occupying Soviet Navy and was recommissioned into the Baltic Fleet as VT-532 in 1941. The ship's primary role was transporting troops and war materiel in the heavily mined Baltic Sea. As German troops advanced on Tallinn in August of 1941, the Soviets began preparations for evacuation. The Eestirand would be part of a convoy or ships responsible for the evacuation of Russian military personnel and Estonian conscripts to Kronstadt help lift the German siege of Leningrad.[3]
On 24 August, 1941 the Eestirand came under attack by German planes as it neared the Keri Lighthouse on Keri Island.[4] 44 men perished in the bombardment, and many more drowned after falling overboard.[3] The captain of the Eestirand, Boris Nelke was given orders to continue on to Kronstadt by the commander of the evacuation fleet, Vladimir Tributs. Ignoring the order, the captain instead chose to head Prangli Island, approximately 6 km to the south, and ground the badly damaged ship off the coast of the island.
Once grounded, the captain and crew members of the Eestirand helped the 2700 surviving Estonian conscripts to disarm the Soviet military personnel aboard the ship and escape onto the island and avoid mobilization to Leningrad.
In 1946, the wreckage of the Eestirand was lifted and towed to Kopli Bay for scrap.
Memorial
After the war, a memorial was placed on Prangli Island to honor the passengers and crew members of the Eestirand who lost their lives on that fateful voyage. The memorial includes a large 4 meter high wooden cross with the inscription "Eestirand 24-08-41", adorned with a life preserver from the ship. The original anchor was salvaged from the wreck and encased in concrete at the foot of the cross. 42 smaller white wooden crosses stand for those killed in the attack.
A central granite pedestal bears a plaque which reads (translated from Estonian):
"Here at Prangli Island off the coast of Keri on 24 and 25 August 1941, the steam ship Eestirand was lost to bombing of German aircraft For dozens of Estonians and Russian Jews it was their last sea voyage."
References
- ^ Cage, R. A. (1997). A tramp shipping dynasty--Burrell & Son of Glasgow, 1850-1939. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 170. ISBN 9780313303463. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ Greater New York: Bulletin of the Merchants' Association of New York, Volume 9. New York: The Association. 1920. p. 12. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ a b Kriss, Tiina (2009). Estonian Life Stories. Central European University Press. p. 130. ISBN 9789639776395. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ Taylor, Neil (2014). Bradt Travel Guide: Estonia. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 128. ISBN 9781841624877. Retrieved 9 December 2014.