http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2#p1782536Vaeltaja wrote:AV is rather generic term, it is not a class so there was no standard AV motorboat as such. Before the war they were just auxiliary boats assigned to actual to every patrol boat and ship as well as to coast guard bases (or maritime guard as it was known at the time). I'm not sure if any of them were armed in even in war time but if they were then it was unlikely to be any heavier than a single machine gun.
For example NV patrol boats (again, not a class, just Nopea Vene - Fast Boat, for being able to make just above 10 knots) were around 14 meters long, every one had AV listed as their equipment before their decommission in late 1930s. Then again when HV-63 (Hidas Vene, Slow Boat - built in 1907 at Turku, length 13.5 m, 32 horsepower engine) was 'decommissioned' in 1941 it was turned into AV-140 - mainly because it was one of the few steel hulled boats the coast guard had. So oddly enough a boat which previously had an AV-boat assigned for it became an AV-boat.
So AV-138 as minesweeper was just essentially a small motorboat towing the lightest mine-clearing rig possible.
AV-boat trying to get from Island Lavansaari to Island Someri in order to avoid being captured by the Soviets:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 1689&hilitJuha Tompuri wrote:...Matti E. Mäkelä writes in his book "Miehiä Merellä" (Men at Sea) that the Coast Guard personel were ordered to stay at the island that long that they could report about the possible Soviet invasion. They obeyed the order, and left the island after sending a radio message:Tom wrote:The radio station in Kronstadt began to send codeword "FAKEL" on 30 November at 00.58. This was repeated through the whole red navy. On the sea front war began at 07.45 by aerial and naval bombardment of the outer islands. The personnel of Lavansaari Coast Guard station tried to escape to Someri, but their motor boat AV 45 was sunk by a Soviet destroyer. All four men lost their lives...
"The Russians are entering the island ,
we will not surrender,
goodbye"
Rankki (Coast) Guard area war diary:
http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=1624381About 11.00 o'clock enemy destroyer (AFAIK Finnish designation being type m/130) fired at Finniah Coast Guard motorboat at area 1369 South of Island Someri.
11.30 motorboat sank at halfway from Lavansaari to Someri
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0#p1778819igorr wrote:It is stated, that GORDYI in 12.25 near Someri sunk cutter "V-14".
According to Heikki Tiilikainen and Ilmari Pusa book Talvisodan Jäinen Loppunäytös ( Icy final act of Winter War) that the boat name was AV-114 and of the four persons on board three were from Coast Guard and one was a civilian fleeing from the Island.
Regards, Juha