HMS Echo arrives in Helsinki to mark 150th anniversary of naval bombardment of island fortress
British and French ships attacked Finland during Crimean War
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By Erkki Kylmänen
British Ambassador Matthew Kirk and Commander Andy Waddington are standing on the bridge of the survey vessel, the HMS Echo.
"We're trying to do less damage than last time", the Ambassador laughs, as Waddington flashes a big smile.
It was 150 years ago when Finland, then a part of the Russian Empire, was involved in the "War of Åland", a sideshow of the Crimean War. At that time, a British-French fleet tried to destroy the fortress of Suomenlinna, or Viapori, as it was then called.
The attempt failed, but the battle made it clear that the days of large maritime fortresses were over. The exploding artillery shells of the enemy flew over the fortified walls, turning the inside of the fortress into an inferno.
TheHMS Echo arrived in Finland to mark the 150th anniversary of the bombardment of Viapori, because the ship can be seen as an heir to some of the reconnaissance vessels used in the attack.
The information gleaned by the smaller vessels allowed the British to position their gunboats so that they would either be shielded from the artillery of the fortress, or remain outside its range.
"In a way, we are still doing the same kind of survey work", Waddington says.
One of the most important tasks of the Echo is to survey the contours of the sea bottom, but the vessel also studies water quality, for instance.
Because of its basic tasks the Echo has to move around in shallow waters, and for that reason it uses the same kind of turning propeller technology as the infamous Suomenlinna ferry.
"The motors have been reliable", Waddington insists.
"You just have to steer the ship in a different way", he adds, saying that he is ultimately more familiar with the more traditional propellers.
HMS Echo was built in 2002 and taken into use in 2003. It comes to Helsinki from the North Sea.
"In the North Sea we were searching for a Dutch submarine sunk during the Second World War in 1941. The Dutch wanted to find it, because next year is the 100th anniversary of their submarine fleet", Waddington explains.
In Helsinki the Echo has a crew of 42 on board. The total number of crew is 70. The crew spend a total of 60 days a year on time off or in training. The rest of the time is spent at sea.
"I have a wife and three children. My oldest child is 15 years old. This kind of a life has suited us. My wife knew all along that she was marrying a sailor", Waddington notes.
"But I am a bit worried if my wife will want me back, when I am transferred to an office job soon", he laughs.
The ship returns to England on Saturday.
The most famous British victim of the Åland War was not as lucky. A cannonball ripped seaman George Quinnel to pieces on the morning of June the 22nd. He was buried on the island of Isosaari. He was survived by a wife and a daughter.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 18.8.2005
The bombardment of Viapori was marked on the night of Friday, August 19th by the Finnish Championships in fireworks.
British Ambassador Matthew Kirk and Commander Andy Waddington are standing on the bridge of the survey vessel, the HMS Echo.
"We're trying to do less damage than last time", the Ambassador laughs, as Waddington flashes a big smile.
It was 150 years ago when Finland, then a part of the Russian Empire, was involved in the "War of Åland", a sideshow of the Crimean War. At that time, a British-French fleet tried to destroy the fortress of Suomenlinna, or Viapori, as it was then called.
The attempt failed, but the battle made it clear that the days of large maritime fortresses were over. The exploding artillery shells of the enemy flew over the fortified walls, turning the inside of the fortress into an inferno.
The
The information gleaned by the smaller vessels allowed the British to position their gunboats so that they would either be shielded from the artillery of the fortress, or remain outside its range.
"In a way, we are still doing the same kind of survey work", Waddington says.
One of the most important tasks of the Echo is to survey the contours of the sea bottom, but the vessel also studies water quality, for instance.
Because of its basic tasks the Echo has to move around in shallow waters, and for that reason it uses the same kind of turning propeller technology as the infamous Suomenlinna ferry.
"The motors have been reliable", Waddington insists.
"You just have to steer the ship in a different way", he adds, saying that he is ultimately more familiar with the more traditional propellers.
HMS Echo was built in 2002 and taken into use in 2003. It comes to Helsinki from the North Sea.
"In the North Sea we were searching for a Dutch submarine sunk during the Second World War in 1941. The Dutch wanted to find it, because next year is the 100th anniversary of their submarine fleet", Waddington explains.
In Helsinki the Echo has a crew of 42 on board. The total number of crew is 70. The crew spend a total of 60 days a year on time off or in training. The rest of the time is spent at sea.
"I have a wife and three children. My oldest child is 15 years old. This kind of a life has suited us. My wife knew all along that she was marrying a sailor", Waddington notes.
"But I am a bit worried if my wife will want me back, when I am transferred to an office job soon", he laughs.
The ship returns to England on Saturday.
The most famous British victim of the Åland War was not as lucky. A cannonball ripped seaman George Quinnel to pieces on the morning of June the 22nd. He was buried on the island of Isosaari. He was survived by a wife and a daughter.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 18.8.2005
The bombardment of Viapori was marked on the night of Friday, August 19th by the Finnish Championships in fireworks.
ERKKI KYLMÄNEN / Helsingin Sanomat
erkki.kylmanen@hs.fi