Prinsessa Armaada 100-years (1902 - 2002)
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Ships phases in a nut shell
General About Steam barges
"Tervahöyrys" were barge-shaped ships made of wood or steal with round hull. In the back of the ship were placed steam engine and boiler. Above the engine in the same level as the main deck were cabins for the crew and a dining room. In the upper deck were the control cabin and the bridge. The whole front and middle section of the ship was reserved for the cargo as in barges.
Most common cargo for steam barges were logs of wood or other timber. They were shipped in Lake Saimaa all the way to Viipuri and St. Petersburg. For example to St. Petersburg's log-harbors in Sutskoineva and Kalintkoi were shipped over 8 million pile-square meters of logs during 1914-1918.
Return cargo was for example flour, grain, ore or other merchandise. Full-length ship was able to carry shipload of 150-190 gross register tons. That is about 650 pile-square meters of logs which this deep running ship carried to its destination with the speed of 4,5-7 knots.
Loading before the journey took 2 to 3 days. Measurements for steam barge constrict by Saimaa-canal then. For full-sized steam barge they were 31 x 7 x 2.4m. Smaller than that were called shorthanded.
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Basic facts of S/s Suomi, nowadays Prinsessa Armaada:
Shiptype:
Capacity:
Measurements:
Engines:
Building year:
Building place:
Builder:
Build for:
Original name:
Original plan drawings:
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Steam barge = "Tervahöyry"
188,48 GRT (gross register ton)
107,72 NRT (net register ton)
31.20m x 6,92m x 2,99m
length - width - draught
100 indicated horsepowers, C2 cyl.
1902
Joroinen, Finland (finishing in Joensuu, Finland)
Tehtaat Lehtoniemi & Taipale Fabriker
(Lehtoniemi Mills & Taipale Mills)
Pohjoiskarjalan höyrylaivaosakeyhtiö
(North Carelia steamship Ltd)
S/s Suomi
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Click the images for larger pictures. |
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Made at Lehtoniemi dock in 1902
S/s Suomi was completed at Lehtoniemi dock in Joroinen 1902. It was ordered by Pohjois-Karjalan Höyrylaivaosakeyhtiö(North Carelia Steamship Ltd), that was originated in Joensuu. For that reason the ship wasn't finished to it's final shape until in Joensuu, where it was registered in 2.6.1902. S/s Suomi changed owner already in 5.3.1904 when T:mi Gustav Cederberg & C:o bought it with another ship S/s Arvo with the total sum of 50 000 Finnish marks. In 7.3.1908 T:mi Gustav Cederberg & C:o was changed their company form to limited company so both ships changed owner again.
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From Russia's Imperial Navy to bottom of Aura-river (Aurajoki)
When the first world war broke out in 1914, took Russia's Imperial Navy the S/s Suomi into their possession probably for warfare purposes. Unfortunately no facts about Imperial Navy using the ship are not found so far. Next piece of information is from year 1918 when during the civil war S/s Suomi was sunk in the Aura-river in Turku. It was blown up among several other ships in 11th April from the Otkant's peer. These days in that spot is the passenger terminal of Turku.
Turku Newspaper(Turun Lehti) wrote from the incident in 16th April 1918:
“On Thursday evening just before 11 o’clock we woke up to a sharp and violent bang which was followed by several similar. The reds had at that time reached the Kanavaniemi port on their destroying and plundering expedition to carry on with their favourite desires. The aforementioned violent bang was caused by the Reds who had set the torpedo and mine warehouse occupied by the Russian navy on fire. Most of them have probably been unloaded. After having done this, the red band of robbers moved on to destroy steamships tied to the adjacent dock, which had been mobilised at the disposal of the Russian war fleet but have now been returned to their owners. It was generally thought that the good old coastal boats would again run their own routes during the approaching summer but these “guardians of the people’s happiness and success” had decided otherwise. All 14 ships tied to the dock were wrecked completely, partly by burning, partly by blowing up. The wrecked ships included Sven Dufva, Bargas, Uttu I, Uttu II, Salo, Wellamo, Marienhamn, Wihuri, Wasama, Rya Kraiten, Vili, Soisalo, Suomi and Riminto. The most badly wrecked are Sven Dufva and Salo.
– The sight in Kanavaniemi is the saddest. The bows of the ships are standing upright, hulls are burnt, ship parts everywhere. And revolting fumes of gas of the mine warehouse are emitting smoke nearby. An excellent example of a truly true democracy”.
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Later the same year the ship was lifted up from the river and repaired by firm named A/B Vulcan. The ship was put in an auction in 24th May 1919. In 28th November at the same year was new owner registered: Laiva Osakeyhtiö Arvo / Viktor Emil Mäkelä (Shipping company Arvo / Viktor Emil Mäkelä Ltd). The ship was registered by the same owner in Helsinki in 8th March 1920. Purchase price was 337 500 Finnish marks.
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First name change
At the year 1922 got s/s Suomi a new owner again, Savonlinnan puutavara Osakeyhtiö / Nestori Kojonen (Savonlinna Timber Limited Company). In the same year the company changed its name to Kojonen & K:nit Oy (Kojonen & Co Ltd) and onwards to Sulka Oy in 1936. When owned by Kojonen, Suomi was registered both in Viipuri and Savonlinna. When the state of war eased off in 1944 was the titular owner changed again. The new owner Repola & Viipuri Oy was at that time a major player in timber industry. In the behind was companies of the same businessman Nestori Kojonen. Registered home town was changed to Savonlinna.
The first name change in the history of the ship took place in year 1946 when the whole fleet of Repola & Viipuri Ltd was named again. All steam barges got the name "Pikisaari", tug boats the name Repola and barges the name Pääskyniemi. Numbers were added in the names to dissociate the ships from each other. That was how s/s Suomi got the name Pikisaari 4.
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Sätkät sätkät parrunpätkät -the movie
One member of Repola Oy's fleet was also Pikisaari 3, originally named as Uolevi. That ship got quite famous later on when it was used in the motion picture "Kaunis Veera eli Balladi Saimaalta" by Ville Salminen / Suomi Filmi. Pikisaari 3 was named to Prinsessa Armada in 28th June 1950 when started filming the picture. The name was changed specifically for the film. Finally the ship was removed from the register and wrecked in year 1956. At the same time Pikisaari 1 was named as Prinsessa Armaada for couple of years.
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Prinsessa Armada, Armaada and Pikisaari
In year 1959 the Prinsessa Armaada then(Pikisaari 1) was named back to Pikisaari 1 and its place took Pikisaari 2(originally named as Jalo) which was named to Prinsessa Armaada. At that time it was bought by City of Lappeenranta / Saimaa traveler association (Saimaan matkailija yhdistys). The ship( Jalo / Pikisaari 2) was moved to Lappeenranta harbor to serve as a cafe.
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This cafe-ship was wrecked in 1967 and replaced by Pikisaari 4(originally named as Suomi). It was bought from Rauma Repola Oy(formerly Repola-Viipuri Oy) by the same association. That is how s/s Suomi got the name Prinsessa Armaada.
The new Prinsessa Armaada was christened in 20th May 1967 by Gunnel Käkelä, wife of minister Valto Käkelä. The ship was placed in Halkosaari as a substitute for the first cafe-ship.
In year 1977 Prinsessa Armaada was bought by Lomaliitto ry. It stayed in Halkosaari til 1979 when it was moved to Lappeenranta harbor. The last change of owner of s/s Suomi / Pikisaari 4 / Prinsessa Armaada happened in 1980 when a businessman Kari Nalli bought the ship from Lomaliitto ry.
Prinsessa Armaada still serves as a ship restaurant in Lappeenranta harbor. 100-year party was celebrated in sunny circumstances in summer of 2002.
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Table about phases and chancing names of Repola-Viipuri Oy's Pikisaari ships
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| Names |
Building year,
-place and
-material |
Hometown |
Shipowner
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UOLEVI
PIKISAARI 3
PRINSESSA ARMADA
(in the motion picture) |
1924, Sääminki, wood
named 19.4.1943
named 28.6.1950 |
Savonlinna |
Kojonen & K:nit
Repola-Viipuri Oy |
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Removed from register 2.10.1956
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PEKKA ANTERO
PIKISAARI
PIKISAARI 1
PRINSESSA ARMAADA
PIKISAARI 1 |
1919, Sääminki, wood
1941, Savonlinna, wood
named 19.4.1943
named 7.3.1956
named 18.8.1959
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Savonlinna
Savonlinna |
Kojonen & K:nit
Repola-Viipuri Oy |
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Pikisaari was build on the bottom of PEKKA ANTERO in 1941,
other parts of Pekka Antero was wrecked.
Removed from register 30.1.1970
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JALO
PIKISAARI 2
PRINSESSA ARMAADA
(second restaurant) |
1929, Savonlinna, wood
named 19.4.1943
named 18.8.1959
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Sulkava
Savonlinna
Lappeenranta |
A.E. Lehkonen
Repola-Viipuri Oy
City of Lappeenranta
/ Saimaan matkailija
yhd. (Saimaa
Traveler association) |
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Removed from register 18.8.1959
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SUOMI
PIKISAARI 4
PRINSESSA ARMAADA
(2. kahvila-alus) |
1902, Lehtoniemi, iron
named 19.4.1943
named 20.5.1967
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Savonlinna
Savonlinna
Lappeenranta |
Kojonen & K:nit
Repola-Viipuri Oy
Saimaan matkailija
yhd. (Saimaa
Traveler association) |
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Removed from register 16.1.1967
Still as a ship restaurant in Lappeenranta.
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Notice: Uolevi / Pikisaari 3 was only ship that was named as Prinsessa Armada. Others had an extra A in their names (Prinsessa Armaada).
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Pulled together by Juha Nalli, 2002, Lappeenranta
Translated in English by Mikko Sirenne, 2003, Lappeenranta
Sources / Information:
Publications (in Finnish):
Erkki Riimala, 1983. Suomalaisia höyrylaivoja 150 vuotta
maailman merillä ja kotivesillä.
Suomen höyrypursiseura ry. (Höyrylaivoista
yleensä)
Turun Lehti, 1918. N:o 12. (16. huhtikuuta 1918)
Internet:
http://www.elka.fi/Nayttelyt/laivat/laivasivut/etusivu.html
http://www.steamship.fi/
Other:
Raimo A. Wirrankoski, own archives
Suomen Laivahistoriallinen Yhdistys / Laiva -lehti
(Historical Ship association of Finland / Laiva magazine)
County archive of city Mikkeli
Juho Pyykönen, South Carelia county museum
Article: Tatu Pekkarinen, Kaunis Veera, Prinsessa Armada ja Prinsessa Armaadat |
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