Eesti sõjalaevastiku olukord ja võimalikud relvahanked Suurbritanniast aastail 1920–1921 [The condition of the Estonian Navy and potential arms trades with the United Kingdom from 1920 to 1921]

Abstract

This article gives an overview of the Estonian-British arms trades, specifically the purchase of warships for the Estonian navy. It is the first paper on the subject and therefore employs only sources from Estonian archives. As it becomes evident from the article, the Estonian government did not buy any warships. Therefore, the main purposes of the article are to describe all the interactions relevant for this subject that were conducted between the two countries, as well as to discuss the reasons why eventually no warships were bought. In addition to that, the author provides an overview of the defence programme of the Estonian navy during the period in question to facilitate a better understanding of why these types of ships were selected for purchase from the United Kingdom.

(Longer version of the current abstract is included in the article, starting from p 235.)