Incorporation into the navy Initially, the British were undecided about the future of the captured destroyers. The
White Russians showed interest in taking them over, but ultimately, it was decided to gift the ships to Estonia. Before handing them over, the British removed all valuable items from the ships, such as the piano from the
Avtroil mess, which ended up on a Royal Navy ship. The ceremonial handover of the destroyers took place on 2 January 1919 at 11:00 AM, when the Estonian flag was hoisted on them. The new ships were classified as torpedo cruisers. Navy Commander
Johan Pitka stated that the new name for the
Spartak should refer to its old one, and it was decided to name it after an Estonian hero. Since the most popular name,
Lembit, was already taken, they chose Vambola
– the legendary leader of the Estonians who fought against German invaders in the first quarter of the 13th century. The name change to
Wambola was announced on January 4. The British captured either 126 or 102 people on the
Spartak. They immediately arrested part of the crews from both ships. Raskolnikov tried to avoid arrest by posing as an ordinary sailor whose documents he had acquired but was recognized by the White officer Oskar Festa, who had attended a course with him. Along with the political commissar of the
Avtroil, Nyniuk, they were taken to the United Kingdom and exchanged for 19 British prisoners in May 1919. Officers, non-commissioned officers, and specialists who surrendered on the destroyers were offered service in the
Estonian Navy, and some of them accepted. From the
Spartak crew, torpedo specialist Łobiński retained his position, and the former commander Pavlinov received another officer position in the Estonian fleet. A total of 30 people from the crews of both destroyers were incorporated into the Estonian Navy at this stage. The remaining sailors were confined in a camp on the island of
Naissaar, where a selection of Bolsheviks took place on December 3. According to witness A. Konurin, the Estonians ordered all Bolsheviks to step out of the line, and when there was no response, they threatened to shoot every fifth prisoner. 15 sailors responded to this declaration and were executed after interrogation. The captured destroyer required repairs, so on January 3, it transferred its supplies to
Avtroil, renamed
Lennuk in its new service, and the next day it was sent to the
Noblessner port. Work began within a few days and lasted until February 15. The repaired
Wambola was ceremonially launched, and on February 19, it underwent sea trials, which were interrupted due to ice conditions. The first commander of the ship was J. Paurman, appointed by the commander of the Tallinn port even before confirmation of the
Avtroil handover to the Estonians. However, in January 1919, he was replaced by Tijdo Kraus. In December, 18 future crew members joined the ship. The ship was sent to its first combat mission on April 29. Along with
Lennuk, it was to lay a minefield between the islands of
Gogland and
Moshchny. The destroyers were loaded with 102 mines and then set out to sea. At night, at 1:35 AM, the ship collided with ice, damaging the bow and the
chip log. Consequently,
Wambola returned to Tallinn, arriving around 10:00 AM. After the repair, the destroyer joined the forces supporting the
Northern Corps' march on Petrograd. It headed to
Koporye Bay, where fighting was ongoing, on May 30, but returned the same day to pick up an
Ingrian detachment, which disembarked in the bay from night till morning. After refueling in
Luga Bay on June 1, the ship continued operations in Koporye Bay. From June 4, Rear Admiral Johan Pitka was on board, commanding the fleet's actions from it. On June 6, four Ingrians – Bolshevik deserters – were taken aboard. Over the next day,
Wambola suffered two malfunctions. First, on June 6, the steam steering devices broke down. The next day,
Lennuk arrived in the bay. The destroyers approached side by side, and Rear Admiral Pitka transferred to the larger of the
Noviks. However, at 3:22 PM, when the machines were started, one of the
mooring lines blocked
Wambola's left propeller.
Wambola was the first to enter the
Gulf of Riga on June 22. During its departure, the destroyer collided with a tug, causing minor dents in its hull. The ship stopped at
Ruhnu island on the morning of March 23. That day, it landed a force in
Ainaži, aiming to capture an armored train. The goal was not achieved, and the destroyer fired 12 shells at German positions in
Saulkrasti. From June 27 to 29, the ship was anchored at the mouth of the
Pärnu river. Following the Estonian forces' victory in the land
Battle of Cēsis, the
Baltische Landeswehr began retreating towards Riga. To fully exploit this victory, Johan Pitka prepared a plan to cut off the Germans in the city. It entailed the ships blocking the enemy's access to the city's bridges over the
Daugava, aiming to annihilate the
Baltische Landeswehr. At 9:00 AM on June 30,
Wambola joined the fleet intended to execute this plan, along with
Lennuk,
Lembit,
Olev, and
Kalew. At 12:45 PM, the group joined the gunboat
Tasuja at the mouth of the
Gauja river and anchored. They were spotted by four German aircraft, which did not engage. The group proceeded to the mouth of the Daugava, arriving at 1:45 PM. Minesweepers
Olev and
Sulev cleared the river of mines. The destroyers followed, with gunboats bringing up the rear. At 3:00 PM, the tug
Pernau approached the ships, mistaking them for Swedish food transports. A shot fired at 3:20 PM from
Lennuk corrected this misconception. The tug launched a boat, which approached the group, prompting a motorboat launch from
Wambola. However, both had to quickly take cover behind
Lennuk as rifle fire began. Since Estonian forces advancing towards the city were halted, the ships began to return to their original positions. Detection by enemy aircraft resulted in shelling from the Mangaļsala battery, to which only
Tasuja could respond. There is no information on
Wambola's actions on July 1, but on the morning of July 2, it, along with the other ships, returned to the mouth of the Daugava. Shortly after 4:00 AM, the ships fired a few shells. At 6:25 AM, a shot came from the Mangaļsala area, about 6.5 km away, to which the Estonian ships responded with fire. Ten minutes later, they began shelling machine gun positions and then enemy ships on the river. Around 9:00 AM, the destroyers opened fire on two German aircraft attacking the gunboat
Lembit. A similar situation occurred around 3:50 PM, forcing the pilots to flee before attacking. At 10:55 PM,
Lennuk took on some of
Wambola's fuel, which set off on its return journey to Tallinn at 7:30 AM on July 3. The destroyer was again in the combat zone on October 14, participating in the shelling of the Kaliszcze-Ustye area with Estonian and British ships. Its involvement was not very effective, as the ship lacked a proper firing position. In search of one, it entered the firing line of
Lembit and
Tasuja. Shortly after finding a suitable position, the ships had to retreat due to increasingly accurate fire from the Krasnaya Gorka fort. The destroyer was shelled again on October 16. This time, the Seryaya Loshad fort began firing when a Royal Navy torpedo boat near
Wambola opened fire. In the second half of October,
Wambola refueled twice in the Björkösund Strait, was in
Narva-Jõesuu on November 2, and returned to Tallinn on November 5. The war ended on 3 January 1920.
In times of peace After the war ended, demobilization commenced, beginning with an order issued on 10 February 1920. The first sailors left the
Wambola on February 26, and the process concluded by April. With the reduction in personnel, discipline among the crew deteriorated, as evidenced by numerous financial penalties and, in extreme cases, arrests for tardiness. During the first two post-war years, no combat drills were conducted on the ship; these resumed in 1922 and continued annually during the summer months.
Wambola undertook its first foreign journeys to
Finland, visiting in October 1920 and again on 27 May 1923 along with
Lennuk and the ship
Kungla to represent the Estonian Navy at a parade marking the unveiling of a monument to Finnish volunteers in the Estonian War of Independence. In 1923, the destroyer visited
Gdynia, participating in the grand opening of the Polish naval base, where it hosted President
Stanisław Wojciechowski. The ship made two visits to
Latvia: the first as part of a training cruise in 1925, and the second in 1929 when it accompanied
Lennuk and
Sulev on an official visit to
Liepāja from August 4 to 8. The idea of selling the ships resurfaced during the
Great Depression when maintenance costs became too high for the small nation. Initial talks with the company
Ludwig Bing u.Ko in August 1931 proposed a sale price of 2,225,000
Estonian kroons. However, due to allied obligations to Finland, Estonian defense minister Herman von Salza decided the only acceptable option was to sell the destroyers to the Finns. An offer of 1.55 million Estonian kroons was made, but the Finns declined due to economic constraints, choosing to invest in air and land forces instead.
Colombia and
Peru, engaged in the
war over Leticia on the
Amazon. Both nations wanted to expand their naval forces, with Colombia being the first to make an attempt. Using the French firm of Alexander Kliagin as an intermediary, the Colombians conducted negotiations with several European countries. Peruvian intelligence reported these contacts with the Estonians to their government. In this situation, the President of Peru,
Sánchez Cerro, insisted on purchasing the Estonian vessels before the Colombians could. Preliminary negotiations with Estonian representatives took place in
Brazil. Multiple offers followed, but to avoid angering the British, Estonia rejected
China's proposal and proceeded with negotiations with Colombia and Peru. Alexander Kliagin represented Colombia, while the Hamburg firm
Ludwig Bing u.Ko represented Peru, with negotiations led by former Russian General
Dmitri Lebedev. Estonia's side included Defense Minister
August Kerem and Chief of Staff
Juhan Tõrvand. Gubin's first offer, made on 4 February 1933, was for $400,000 (approximately 1,492,000 Estonian kroons at the exchange rate of that time). Lebediev proposed $375,000. To determine the exact value of the ships, the Estonians appointed a commission chaired by Paul Gerrets. The commission included Commander Vasili Marson, Lieutenant Commander N. Link, and Navy Captain Johannes Santpank. The result of the commission's work was a breakdown presented on May 5: Despite the higher offer from Colombia, Estonian negotiators leaned towards a deal with Peru, suspecting Kliagin's offer was a ploy to hinder Peru's naval enhancement. The Colombian offer, however, helped Estonia negotiate a higher price with Peru, raising the amount initially to US$387,000 and finally to US$410,000. The Ministry of Defense approved the sale on June 29, and the transaction was completed on 30 July 1933.
Public perception of the transaction The Estonian public learned the first details of the agreement on July 9, when Estonian newspapers reported the sale of the ships for 2,500,000 Estonian kroons. This amount caused public outrage, and the opposition took up the issue, demanding the transaction amount be doubled. The military prosecutor's office also launched an investigation. Although the investigations did not reveal any irregularities, the matter continued to stir public anger. It was brought up during a parliamentary debate on December 19, which led to heated disputes. In 1934, the controversies surrounding the transaction increased. The Italian newspaper
Il Popolo d’Italia published information about the transaction, claiming that the intermediary firm
Ludwig Bing u.Ko made $340,000 from the deal. When this information reached Estonia, Dmitri Lebediev, the intermediary representative, fled the country but was quickly arrested in Riga by the Estonian police. General Juhan Tõrvand, who led the negotiations, lost his position in the General Staff in February and was expelled from the military on March 7 after a parliamentary debate on the matter. He, along with another negotiator, August Kerem, was accused of corruption. The case dragged on for many months, but on 9 December 1934, both were acquitted. The purchase by intermediaries also caused some controversy in Peru. This affair somewhat facilitated the success of the proposal for constitutional changes, which was considered in the October 1933 referendum at their request. The Estonians invested the proceeds in two submarines – what would become the
Kalev-class. These submarines became new symbols of national pride, filling the gap left by the sold destroyers. == Service in Peru ==