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Uus-Sadama (Uus-Sadam)
New Harbor (see Sadama). First known (1882) as Neue Hafenstraße, the street has gone though the usual gamut of name variations, with transliteration into Russian as Новая Гаванная (New Havannaya) and Ново-Гаванская (New Havanskaya) and optimistic equivalents such as Rus. Уус-Садама copying Sadama uus u. but this with its noun and adjective ass-backwards and a ‘u’ for ulitsa (street) tacked on. Home to the once Meremeestekodu (Seaman’s Club / Association), now used by the border patrol, as well as to Tallinn University.
Vööri (Vöör)
Fore, as in opposition to aft, where vööris ja ahtris is ‘fore and aft’, and the interesting English word fo’c’sle or even fo’c’s’le, short for fore-castle, is ruhv. Street fifteen minutes’ walk from Ahtri, and a few years’ building away from completion.
Vambola (Vambola)
Named after the mine-cruiser Vambola/Wambola, ex Soviet Spartak, ex Russian Kapitan 2, one of two Russian destroyers (sister ship/street Lennuk a block away) hijacked by the British and given to Estonia in 1919 (or maybe Dec 1918). Name almost certainly comes from the eponymous hero of Wambola: Jutustus wanast Eesti ajaloost (1209-1212), Vambola: A Story from Olde Estonian Historie (1209-1212) (1889, Publ. J. Solba), reviving interest in Lembit of Lehola, first tome of a trilogy including Aita (1891) and Leili (1892/93) by Saali A. Ship said to have been sold to Peru in 1933 and scrapped in 1954. It is not impossible that the similarly-sounding Varbola may have had played some initial influence in the name. Not to be confused with EML (Eesti Mereväe Laev, lit. Estonian Naval Ship) Wambola (M311), ex ‘Cuxhaven’ of German Navy, given to Estonia in 2003.
Süda P.
(Peeter Süda, 1883-1920)
Organist and composer, born on Saaremaa. His library and collection of folksongs are now housed in the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum. NB: whereas süda (heart) declines normally as süda:südame, for the person’s name it is Estonian Theatre and Music Museum. Odd, but why not (see, for example, Lauteri A. and Raudsüdame)? His grandpaternal uncle was called Peter Südda. Odd, why? Why, because it’s part of Estonia’s complex track record in trying to express its rather subtle sound-length variations, this particular example lasted till mid-19th C. Part of the street used to be Ahju.
