Estonia’s symbolic flagship, the venerable and stately Suur Tõll, is one of the three surviving early 20th century steam-powered icebreakers in the Baltic Sea. When launched in Germany, the icebreaker was one of the world’s most modern vessels of its kind. It has steamed under the flags of Imperial Russia, Finland, the Soviet Union and Estonia bearing four different names: Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich, Volynets, Wäinämöinen and Suur Tõll.

The reader will enjoy a rare glimpse of the crew’s daily life, study in detail the engine room of a mighty steamship, and admire its elegant interior. The book also provides a brief overview of theVulcan-Werke shipyard, from which the Suur Tõll departed for Tallinn in 1914. The hundred-year biography of the ship with four names reflects the story of the Republic of Estonia; history enthusiasts will find hitherto unpublished original drawings, photographs and excerpts from documents. The appendix provides a list of crew members in 1922–1940.