The wreck of the ship "Alar" Karinė įranga

The ship "Alar", also known as "Ernst Jaakson", is one of the most remarkable historical ships in Estonia. The 35-meter-long and 8-meter-wide three-masted motor sailboat was built from 1937 to 1939 in the village of Õngu on the island of Hiiumaa, under the leadership of local residents and master craftsman Peeter Himmi. It is the largest wooden ship of its type that has survived in Estonia.

The ship's first captain was Arnold Tõri, whose father was one of the ship's owners. Initially, "Alar" was used to transport timber, but in 1940 it began transporting building materials to Soviet army bases. During World War II, the ship remained in Estonian waters. At the end of the war, the owners and crew planned an escape to Sweden, but the plan was discovered and they were arrested. The ship's command was imprisoned in Tallinn, but the Germans took over the ship and renamed it "Kurland", taking it to Germany.

After the war, Arnold Thiri, who had moved to the United States, found the ship in Hamburg, brought it to England, where it was rebuilt and renamed "Arne". The ship later sailed under the Swedish flag until 1968, when it was bought back and taken to Denmark for restoration.

In 1998, after almost 60 years, the ship was brought back to Hiiumaa Island and moored at Sõru Harbour, the only wooden boat and ship restoration center in Estonia. In the same year, the ship was renamed "Ernst Jaakson", in honor of the long-time Estonian diplomat who represented the country's continuity in the United States during the time when Estonia was part of the USSR.

Currently, "Alar" is located in the port of Sõru, in the village of Pärna, on the island of Hiiumaa and is freely accessible at any time.