The Steamship «Vyborg» Found in the Gulf of Finland En Route to Tallinn: Details of the 1941 Sinking

The steamship "Vyborg" sank in the Gulf of Finland after being hit by a torpedo.

At a depth of 54 meters in the Gulf of Finland, the steamship "Vyborg," which sank on July 3, 1941, while en route to the port of Tallinn for the evacuation of the garrison and supplies, was discovered. The 110-meter-long vessel was located by participants of the "Voices of Sunken Ships" expedition.

Experts attribute the sinking to the ship being struck by a torpedo from a Finnish submarine.

"It was important to find it because this is the last major transport lying in the territorial waters of the Russian Federation from wartime. We have confirmed that it indeed perished due to a torpedo," said expedition leader Konstantin Bogdanov.

For the research of the ship, which lies on the navigational channel in the Gulf of Finland, vessel traffic was halted for two days. Experts learned that Captain Ilya Gavrilov actively maneuvered and evaded torpedoes during the attack. During the investigation, specialists discovered a hole in the starboard side.

"We examined the rudder, which is turned to the maximum left position, and the engine telegraph set to 'full ahead,' meaning the captain was making evasive maneuvers, trying to escape the torpedoes. Therefore, the torpedo likely hit tangentially to the side, resulting in such a jagged hole," reported diver-researcher and expedition participant Mikhail Ivanov.

Searchers retrieved the ship's bell from the sunken vessel, which bears the German name "Cairo" and the city where it was built—Bremen. The bell will become part of a memorial planned to be unveiled at the "Patriot" park branch in Kronstadt.

"These ship bells are echoes of that era, which lasts and will continue, because they are virtually indestructible. By ringing this bell, we convey voices from the souls of those who perished to our present time," explained expedition member, economist of the St. Daniel Monastery, Innokentiy Olkhovoy.

It is known that the crew members of the steamship "Vyborg" were rescued, picked up by Soviet boats. The only casualty on the vessel on July 3, 1941, was the boatswain, Dmitry Denisov, for whom a memorial service was held at the site where the steamship sank.