[1] The ship made her maiden voyage as Eestirand on 9 June 1932 under captain Jakob Lepni, with a crew of 142 men and women.

[1] After its return to Tallinn on 15 September with its cargo, the expedition was considered a success, with Estonian fish exports now exceeding imports.

Eestirand would be part of a convoy or ships responsible for the evacuation of Soviet military personnel and Estonian conscripts to Kronstadt to help relieve the German siege of Leningrad.

Once beached, Nelke and his crew helped the 2,700 surviving Estonian conscripts to disarm the Soviet military personnel aboard the ship and escape onto the island and avoid mobilization to Leningrad.

The monument includes a large 4-metre (13 ft)-high wooden cross with the inscription "Eestirand 24–08–41", adorned with a life preserver from the ship.

A central granite pedestal bears a plaque which reads (translated from Estonian): "Here at Prangli Island off the coast of Keri on 24 and 25 August 1941, the steam ship Eestirand was lost to bombing of German aircraft.