Kemi, Museum ship and lightvessel at Maritime Centre Vellamo, Kotka, Finland
Kemi is a 31-meter steel vessel with a distinctive red hull and white superstructure, located at Maritime Centre Vellamo in Kotka. A central light tower on the ship marks its purpose as a navigation aid for Finnish waters.
The ship was built in 1901 in Pori and served for decades as a lightvessel at various positions along the Finnish coast. After roughly 70 years in operation, it was retired in 1974 and later moved to the museum.
The vessel shares recorded stories of the crew members who spent their working seasons aboard, showing how daily life unfolded on this floating lighthouse. These narratives reveal what it meant to live and work far from shore in maritime traditions.
The vessel is open to visitors during summer months and can be visited together with the icebreaker Tarmo at the Maritime Centre. It is easily accessible when visiting the centre at the harbour, and provides straightforward access to the ship.
The ship carried two heavy anchors of different weights to keep it in position during storms and rough seas. Its lighting system used oil lamps that rotated in a set pattern around the masts to guide ships safely.
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