AG 16 (ex AG-13) was a Russian submarine of Holland 602GF/602L type (AG = Amerikansky Golland), which served in the Gulf of Finland

Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...

 during the First World War.

During World War I Russian and British submarines operated from bases in Finland

British submarine flotilla in the Baltic

A British submarine flotilla operated in the Baltic Sea for three years during the First World War. The squadron of nine submarines was attached to the Russian Baltic Fleet. The main task of the flotilla was to prevent the import of iron ore from Sweden to Imperial Germany...

. The Russian submarines of Holland type (AG 11, AG 12, AG 15 and AG 16) were scuttled in the harbor of Hanko on April 3, just prior to the German landing there. These submarines had good sea going qualities and were easy to handle. When the German troops advanced on Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, the British submarine group sailed out and scuttled their submarines outside the city, on April 4, 1918. The Squadron consisted of the submarines E 1, E 8, E 9, E 19, C 26, C 27 and C 35. The British crews could return to Britain via Murmansk.

Two of the Russian submarines, the AG 12

Finnish submarine AG 12

Finnish submarine AG 12 was a Russian submarine of Holland 602GF/602L type , which served in the Gulf of Finland during the first World War.During World War I Russian and British submarines operated from bases in Finland...

 and the AG 16, seemed to be in relatively good shape and the Finns decided to lift them and to repair them. After salvaging, the AG 12 was transferred to Turku

Turku

Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

 and the AG 16 to Helsinki. AG 12 was however a hopeless case and was soon scrapped. The Finns asked both Germany and Electric Boat Co. for estimates on the cost of repairing the AG 16. The latter was so costly so only the German alternative remained. German experts evaluated the AG 16 and gave a cost estimate. The Finnish government would however never give funds for the repairing of the submarine, since the young nation had so much else to use their money on. The repairing would be costly and no shipyard were prepared to guarantee that the result would be good. The submarine was stored on dry land until 1929 when the Finnish government finally agreed on the new Fleet program, which also included new submarines. The AG 16 was then scrapped.