AK - ORP Wilia

ORP Wilja

type: transport ship
class: -
codename:

yard: Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft, Flensburg (Germany)
establishing hernia: September 1905
run on water: 1906
inclusion in PMW: 8.8.1925
sunk: 8.6.1944 as a breakwater at Arromanches

Size:
length: 104 m
width: 14,86 m
draught: 7,62 m
displacement: 8400 t
tonnage: 3.570 BRT
the number of cargo spaces: 4

Drive:
boilers: 2x
drive: 1x trojčinný expansion steam engine (1.350 shp), 1 screw
speed: 8 knots
fuel: coal
range: ?

Armament:
2x 75 mm (2xI /open position)
4x 47 mm (2xI /open position)

Crew: about 56.
URL : https://www.valka.cz/AK-ORP-Wilia-t29914#107495 Version : 0
Brief history:
1906: putting it into service as a merchant ship S/S "Ganelon" in vlasnictví German shipowner Dampfschiffe Rheederei 'Horn' AG, Lübeck
1907: sold as S/S "Hilda Horn" brémskému shipowners Roland Linie AG
December 1911: another change of the owner, under the name of S/S "Tinos" defends the colors of the hamburg shipping DLL AG
August 1914: internment in the Greek port of Piraeus
September 1916: seized by the French, with a new name "Le Bourget" served mainly to the stretcher of the material in the channel La Manche
1922: purchased by the shipowner C. Schiaffino & Co. from Algiers, renamed S/S "Laurent Schiaffino"
July 1925: the ship bought by the Polish government for the needs of Marynarki Wojennej
8.8.1925: included in the state of MW as a transport ship ORP Wilja
October 1925: the ORP Wilja bringing in Gdańsk the first 1,000 tons of war material, mainly from France
1926 - 1927: the service on the route Gdansk - Le Havre - Cherbourg - Brest - Gdańsk
June 1927: the transport of the coffin with the remains of the famous Polish poet J.Słowackého from Cherbourg to Gdańsk
1928: together with dělovým boat ORP Komendant Piłsudski and school sailboat ORP Iskra participation in exercises in the waters of the Ryské bay
from the year 1928: the service on the route Gdynia - Le Havre - Cherbourg - Brest - Gdynia
1929: the school cruise to Norway
1930 - 1932: the transport of the crews of the new units of the PMW, at the French shipyard
1932 - 1934: the service in the role of a school ship
6.3.1933: "gdańský incident", the ORP Wilja entering without a pilot in the port channel and on the Westerplatte planted the banner of the marine corps
16.3.1933: conflict resolved through diplomatic channels, departure back to Gdynia
1934 - 1938: numerous cruises to France, where it was transporting parts for a newly built minelayer ORP Gryf
may 1937 to may 1938: school cruises to Estonia, Sweden and Great Britain
July 1939: the school cruise to the Mediterranean sea
30.7.1939: because of the crash of machinery ORP Wilja enshrined in Casablanca
17.8.1939: to Casablanca runs a school sailing ship ORP Iskra and takes on board trainees maritime school
13.9.1939: the explosion of a French mine cruiser Pluton in the vicinity Wilji, the ship remained intact, the crew participating in the rescue operations
September 1939: after the repair of machinery drifted minikonvoj ships ORP Wilja and ORP Iskra to Port Lyautey, where they were anchored and the crew sent to France
3.7.1940: with the imminent surrender of France, the ship evacuated to Gibraltar
8.7.1940: ORP Wilja leaving Gibraltar in a convoy headed to Great Britain
12.7.1940: the crash of boilers, from the originally planned repairs in Vigo dropped to due to a real risk of internment
17.7.1940: after repairs at sea, and separate cruise the Atlantic comes ORP Wilja to Liverpool
30.7.1940: renaming on S/S Modlin and inclusion in the "Polskiej Marynarky Handlowej" (the Polish merchant navy)
1941: general repair
1942 to 1944: service in the atlantic convoys
8.6.1944: the ship using a tugboat towed to the Normandy coast and here sunk as part of a breakwater at Arromanches
1958: pick up the wreck and its scrapping

Commanders
August 1925 to ? - captain-lieutenant M. Burchardt
? up to 1939 - captain-lieutenant Wojciech Francki.
URL : https://www.valka.cz/AK-ORP-Wilia-t29914#107496 Version : 0
Discussion post Fact post
Attachments

Join us

We believe that there are people with different interests and experiences who could contribute their knowledge and ideas. If you love military history and have experience in historical research, writing articles, editing text, moderating, creating images, graphics or videos, or simply have a desire to contribute to our unique system, you can join us and help us create content that will be interesting and beneficial to other readers.

Find out more