From Tarmo and Kemi to RV-125.
Hardworking tools in their retirement.
The floating cultural legacy cherished by the Maritime Museum of Finland and Museum of Kymenlaakso, in other words the museums ships and boats, are moored to the museum vessel pier which is open to the public in the summer period. During the sailing season, traditional vessels in private ownership may also visit Vellamo’s pier occasionally.
Icebreaker Tarmo (1907) was a familiar sight in Kotka and on fairways leading there when the ship was still in active service. Decommissioned at the end of the 1960s, the Tarmo has served museum purposes since 1992. In the summer, visitors have access to the Tarmo, from the bridge to the engine room along a guided route. The history of this steam ship built in Great Britain involves hard work on the sea, but also dramatic events during the world wars.
Another old vessel which used to be owned by the National Board of Navigation, the lighthouse ship Kemi built in Pori in 1901, is being renovated at the docks at the northern end of Vellamo. The Kemi will be opened to the public as soon as the renovation is finalized.
The museum vessel pier is now also home for the pilot boat Pitkäpaasi (1898). Pitkäpaasi was built in Norway at the boatyard of the famous boat designer Colin Archer. The wooden boat still in running condition may be at sea, but if you are lucky, you can become acquainted with it at the pier.
Guard vessels Telkkä (1958) and RV 125 (1960), which were used by coastguardsmen, are moored to the outer edge of the museum boat pier. Telkkä was most recently in active service under the flag of Estonia in the 1990s. The RV vessels were the basic craft used at coast guard stations until quite recently, and they were especially useful during the thawing season providing a lifeline to the archipelago.
