Keel laid for Finnish Navy’s first Squadron 2020 multi-role corvette

The keel laying ceremony for Finnish Navy’s first Squadron 2020 multi-role corvette was held at Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) shipyard on April 11, 2024.

The keel of the ship and its cradle were lowered on a building trestle inside a construction hall where the ship is being built. As is the tradition, two lucky coins were placed under the ship that will remain there once the ship is completed. 

The traditional keel laying ceremony celebrates in effect the birth of the ship and marks the actual start of construction of the ship’s hull.

Due to national security reasons, the corvettes are being built indoors.

It has been five months since the start of construction, and the operative phase has progressed efficiently, according to RMC. The first part of the keel weighs 56 tonnes.

“The ship, today only a keel, can be seen as a symbol representing the commitment our shipyard and personnel have towards national defence. Our work has required smooth, extensive and open collaboration between the ordering party and all those connected to the project,” said Project Director Timo Ståhlhammar.

RMC is building four Pohjanmaa-class multi-role corvettes in total for the Finnish Navy.

The multi-role corvette is a surface combatant capable of effectively conducting a range of navy tasks at sea all year round. The 117-meter-long vessels are designed to operate in the Baltic Sea year-round in various circumstances, including also icy and freezing conditions. They have a width of 16 meters, a draft of 5 meters, and are capable of traveling at 26 knots.

Several vessels have been built at Rauma shipyard over the years for the Finnish Navy to use: four Hamina-class vessels, two Hämeenmaa-class minelayers, four Rauma-class missile boats, and the hovercraft ITA Tuuli.