Anti-mine ship-museum M52 "Sūduvis" Museum
The M52 “Sūduvis” mine countermeasures ship-museum is located on the Karališkoji Danės waterfront of Klaipėda, next to Castle Bridge.
It is a “Lindau” mine trawler class ship, built in 1956–1958 in West Germany. The mission of these ships is to detect and destroy sea mines. The hull was therefore made of Brazilian oak, the deck of teak, and the machinery, of non-magnetic metal.
From 1958 to 1999, the ship belonged to the German Navy and was named M1071 “Koblenz”. From 1978–1979, it was converted from a mine trawler to a mine hunter.
In 1999, the ship was transferred to the Lithuanian Navy. Navy ships are traditionally named after historical regions of Lithuania, so the received ship was also named M52 “Sūduvis”. The ship served Lithuania for 22 years, taking part in international and national exercises and operations. In 2021, the ship left the service of the Lithuanian Navy and was handed over to the Lithuanian Maritime Museum. Then, 52 “Sūduvis” was opened to the public and adapted for the needs of museum and educational use. The vessel on display has authentic operational equipment.
Used sources and references:
Eugenijus Simonas Kisinas, "Minų traleris", Universal Lithuanian encyclopedia, 2024, online access: https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/minu-traleris /.
"Sūduvis - culture hunter", Lithuanian Maritime Museum, 2023, online access: https://muziejus.lt/lt/laivas-muziejus-m52-suduvis .