Finnish Navy celebrates founding centenary in Turku

The Finnish Navy is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in Turku on the banks of the Aura River by Forum Marinum on Sunday and Monday, said an official press release.

Navy vessels will moor on the banks of the river on Sunday. On the actual Anniversary of the Finnish Navy, 9 July, there will be a pass-in-review and the reviewing officers will be the Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Jarmo Lindberg and the Commander of the Finnish Navy, Vice Admiral Veijo Taipalus.

A 21-gun salute will be fired during the pass-in-review.

In honour of the anniversary there will also be visiting naval vessels from seven different countries. Both Finnish and foreign naval vessels will have Open Ship events in which there will be a static display, a concert by the Navy Band and the popular Show Band of the Defence Forces’ Conscript Band, and an open lecture about the history of the Navy and the Navy today.

As the day sets in the evening of the Anniversary of the Navy on Monday, the anchorage and the vessels will be illuminated.

The event area is a temporary military area of the Finnish Defence Forces. A temporary airspace restriction is in effect in the event area and its surroundings for unmanned aerial vehicles, such as RPAS and drones. The restrictions are in effect from today 8am to Tuesday 12pm. All unauthorised aerial operations in the area will be reported to the police.

The visitors will not be allowed to bring packs, bags or cameras to the separately fenced areas and photography will not be allowed in those areas.

The visiting foreign vessels are Sweden HMS Visby, Visby class corvette, Denmark HDMS Nymfen, Diana class patrol vessel, Latvia LVNS Talivaldis, Tripartite class minehunter, Lithuania LNS Skalvis, Hunt class mine counter-measure vessel, Estonia ENS Sakala, Sandown class minehunter, United Kingdom HMS Montrose, type 23 frigate United Kingdom HMS Ramsey, Sandown class minehunter, Poland ORP Wodnik, Wodnik class training ship.

All of the visiting foreign vessels are not necessarily participating in the Open Ship event. Some of the vessels will be moored at the base port of Turku instead of the Aura River.