[4] The ship was designed as a minelayer but was not particularly good at it due to its slow speed, bad seakeeping qualities and inadequate storage space.

It was involved most notably in laying mines in the Gulf of Bothnia, preventing the Soviet submarines from entering that area.

On the whole, the mine laying capacity of the Finnish Navy was poor, but nevertheless it was efficient in curtailing the operations of the enemy.

It is known for certainty that at least two Soviet patrol boats, one submarine and one German cargo ship were sunk by Finnish sea mines.

These activities were continued after the end of the Winter War, as soon as the sea ice melted, due to the fear of the Soviets launching an invasion of Southern Finland.

By the start of the Continuation War, the ability of the Finnish Navy to lay mines was improved significantly.

Louhi was sunk on 12 January 1945 after a mine laying operation in the Lapland War, in an area south of Hanko.

The Finnish vessels were escorted by pair of Soviet MO-boats when a large explosion wracked the stern of Louhi.

The vessel sank in two minutes, taking 10 men into the depth of 40 meters, while escorting Soviet ships saved the surviving crew from the freezing sea.

[3][9][10] Earlier it had been thought that the sinking might have been caused even by a Finnish sea mine, laid by either Finns in 1941 or Germans in 1944.

However, on the basis of observations during dives to the wreck, it is now believed that the sinking was caused by a torpedo that hit the hull outside the engine room.

[11] The place of the sinking of Louhi has been marked in maps for a long time, but the wreck was never found at this site.

However, in May 2015, Finnish divers from the "Badewanne Diving Exploration Team" found a wreck that they believed to be Louhi.