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Ruissalo R-class Gunboat

The main dimensions of the R-class vessels were: length 36.0 m, width 6.5 m and draft 2.0 m. The speed was approximately 20 knots and the total strength was 22 people. The ship had two 1,350 hp twin-turbocharged V12 diesel engines.

Guard boat 55, originally Mine Cleaver Röy, was launched from Turku Shipyard Shipyard on July 2, 1959 and baptized by Tornio schoolgirl Anja-Leena Koponen. The Tornio became the sponsor of the ship and the ship was handed over to the Navy on October 29, 1959. Since its completion, Röyti's flank number has been 5, which after the mid-1970s turned to 55 when ships received tactical flank numbers. At the end of the decade, the R-class clearers Rihtniemi and Rymättylä were acquired from Finland through the basic acquisition program of 1955. By 1960, three new R-class clearers were built to protect mine clearance capabilities: Ruissalo, Raisio and Röytt, which, unlike their two predecessors, were also better suited to watchdog missions. Röy, like her sister ship Ruissalo, side number 3 and Raisio, side number 4, as well as the "little brawlers", Rihtniemi 1, and Rymättylä 2, were originally designed to serve as coasters.

The ship and its sister ships initially belonged to the Navy Flag Mine Squadron, whose home base was Pansio. The front deck was equipped with a 40mm hand-held Bofors cannon and the intermediate deck was a body-mounted 20mm Madsen machine gun. The aft deck had the necessary equipment for clearing with winches. In 1962, the ship was modified by the installation of an English 163A Echo sounder and Calculator System and a Squid Depth Rifle. In addition, two depth bomb drops were installed.

When the Navy Flag was established on June 1, 1969 (Coastal Navy from January 1, 1980), the Patrol Squadron, which was based at the then Helsinki Navy Station, moved to Rinnio with its sister ship Raisio to Upinniemi. The ships now became guard boats and, in accordance with its main weaponry, training activities focused on submarine combat.

In the mid-1970s, the Navy began designing a new weapon system for Class R ships. It was decided to modify the ships into anti-submarine-capable patrol boats. The renovation and modification of the patrol boat Röyti was completed for the 1980 sailing season. The appearance of the ship changed significantly when a closed bow rail came on the bow deck. In its original outfit, the bow on the ship's deck did not yet have a solid reel, so one can imagine the conditions of a Bofors cannon crew during the late-autumn shootings. In addition, the daily ammunition tanks required by the new weapons system changed the ship's appearance, both at the stern and at the bow. Changes were also made to the ship's interior. The ship's former underclassmen's area was transformed to the stern and the former radio cabin was transformed into a single mess. Separate toilets and showers were provided in both the bow and stern crew compartments.

The submarine anti-aircraft weapon became a five-barrel submarine launcher on both sides of the ship's deck. For the purpose of locating, locating and firing on submarines, the ship was fitted with a fixed echo system, MG-11, of Soviet origin. The cannon boat in Karelia and Turunmaa also had the same system. Depth bombers were still part of the fleet. The 23mm two-barrel Sergei anti-aircraft projectiles became the projectiles for the bow and aft deck.

In the early 1990s, Röuth, as its sister ships continued to be developed. New radars (ARPA) and Syledis tracking devices were installed in the winter of 1991. In the summer of 1991, prototype testing of a new domestic underwater monitoring hydrophone cable system began and the system was finally installed in 1993. A projectile gun project was also installed at Rötio.

These ships served in the Navy until the late 20th century. The Navy abandoned the Guard Boats in 1999. After that, Rihtniemi and Rymättylä joined the Estonian Navy, Ruissalo was scrapped and Raisio was sold completely stripped. Until 2005 the ship was in the so-called "blue reserve". The ship became privately owned in 2006 and has been in commercial operation in Helsinki since 2012. The ship is currently owned by Wave and Soul Cruises Oy, which, in addition to cruises, maintains the ship's condition and upholds the ship's tradition from the Navy. Patrol Boat 55 is a full-blooded warship that has been completely modernized for cruise and customer events.