A person who sank in December 1941 was found off the coast of Finland Latvian Navy ships It is not planned to lift it from the seabed yet, as this project could be too expensive for the state, Defense Minister Atis Pabriks (V) told reporters.

In order to take a closer look at the wreck of the sunken ship, it is planned that Latvian divers will go to Finland. For a warship  Chief is an interesting testament to the history of Latvia, because its fate vividly reflects the historical events of the early 20th century. It was built in Germany and flew the flag of Soviet Latvia, the Republic of Latvia and later the USSR. ”

The chief served as a minesweeper and a patrol boat

"Finding a shipwreck will be a valuable research object for Latvian naval specialists, because" Virsaitis "was the first ship in the Latvian Navy to perform the functions of a flagship," says Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks.

The ship Virsaitis climbs on the mine and sinks

The first ship of the Latvian Navy "Virsaitis" was launched on June 12, 1921. Later, it also served as a flagship. On December 2, 1941, evacuating Red Army units from the Hanko Peninsula military base in the Gulf of Finland, Virsaitis ran into a mine and sank.

When conditions allow, our divers will go there to get answers to many hitherto unclear questions. Unless Pabriks is reaffirmed as Minister of Defense, he would like to thank the Finnish divers for their work in locating the sunken Latvian ship.

Pabriks plans to discuss with Finnish colleagues how the shipwreck could be investigated.

Finding the "top" is of great historical significance, but now funds are needed for other purposes to think about the wreck. In addition, if this issue could ever be raised, Pabriks said that public consultation would also be needed.

The warship Virsaitis is an interesting testament to the history of Latvia, as its fate vividly reflects the historical events of the early 20th century. It was built in Germany, floated under the flag of Soviet Latvia, Latvia and later also the USSR. Finding the shipwreck will be a valuable research object for the specialists of the Latvian Navy, because "Virsaitis" was the first ship of the Latvian Navy to perform the functions of a flagship, "Pabriks pointed out earlier.

The first ship of the Latvian Navy "Virsaitis" was launched on June 12, 1921. Later, it also served as a flagship. On December 2, 1941, evacuating Red Army units from the Hanko Peninsula military base in the Gulf of Finland, Virsaitis ran into a mine and sank.

The German warship M-68 is transformed into the ship Virsaite

The German warship "M-68" has been included in the Latvian navy since July 1919 and has been named "Virsaite". After repair and reconstruction in the workshops of the Riga Stock Exchange Committee, it became the flagship of the Latvian Navy. 20th, 30th century. In the 1930s, Virsaitis made state representation trips and participated in naval maneuvers. On August 19, 1940, he was included in the USSR Baltic Navy under the name "T-297". On July 25, 1941, it was renamed "Virsaitis". During the Second World War, he defended Leningrad as a member of the USSR navy. On December 2, 1941, while evacuating parts of the Red Army from the Hanko Peninsula military base in the Gulf of Finland, "Virsaitis" ran into a mine.

The ship Virsaitis has carried several names in its life - Virsaytis, Virsaitis, Sarkana Latvija, M68, T-297, Вирсайтис

The 1927 newspaper writes about Virsaite - LATVIAN SOLDIER 1927

WIKI, LETA and TVNET and other information were used in the preparation of the report.