- Yes
- No
TL;DR
Coastal vessel, fast Estonian patrol boat, like a Pr.183 without torpedoes.
History:
The Storm-class fast patrol boats were designed for the Norwegian Navy in the 1960s to patrol the coastal waters of Norway. It was designed by Lieutenant-Commander Harald Henriksen, who was involved in designing Norway’s first domestic motor torpedo boats. The first ship, KNM Storm, was completed in 1963, though it was later scrapped and replaced with an “identical” vehicle. A total of 20 vessels were completed, equipped with a 76mm Bofors and 40mm Bofors. All were refitted in the 1970s with Penguin anti-ship missiles.
After the independence of the Baltic states, Norway donated and sold multiple Storm-class boats to them. The Estonian ship was KNM Arg, built in 1966 in Bergen, and donated in 1994 to support the new state. It was renamed to EML Torm (Storm), and operated by the Estonian Border Guard, being the largest ship in the Border Guard Fleet. However, the ship was disarmed before transfer, so the Estonians fitted the ship with 2 autocannons, one of which was replaced by a 40mm Bofors in 1996. It was mostly based in the Moon Sound Archipelago and took part in a few naval exercises with the other Baltic States and Germany, search & rescue during the Kurkse tragedy, and other coastal patrols rescuing ships. In 2008, the ship was decommissioned due to age and was moved to the Estonian Maritime Museum in Tallinn, where it was moved to land and is currently open to the public.
Specifications: (1996)
Armament:
1x1 40mm Bofors L/60
1x2 25mm/82 2M-3MDisplacement:
118 tons fullLength: 36.5m
Beam: 6.3m
Draft: 1.55m
Propulsion: 2 Maybach MB872A diesel engines, 7200 hp, driving 2 shafts
Speed: 30 knots (55.6 km/h)
Range: 600nmi
Crew: 8
Systems:
Decca TM1226 navigation radar
Images:
Sources:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110726055232/http://www.meremuuseum.ee/?op=body&id=82
https://www.navypedia.org/ships/estonia/es_cg_torm.htm
Images: