SS - ORP Orzeł (85A)

History of ORP "Orzeł" - Part I





After the construction of three submarines of the type "Wilk" in France, the command of the Polish Navy (Kierownictwo Polskiej Marynarki Wojennej - KPMW) decided to continue expand your submarine fleet. It took into account the experience and comments of the commanders of the then submarines and decided to build more ships, which were to be slightly larger than the older type, with strong torpedo armament and no equipment for laying mines. They were to be able to take long, independent actions at a greater distance from the base, which, in Polish conditions, could easily become inaccessible or inaccessible at all.
However, after bad experience with the construction of submarines of the type "Wilk" in French shipyards (ships did not have good navigation characteristics and were very defective) KPMW hesitated to enter new submarines again in this country. Because the Polish shipyards were unable to produce the required type, the Polish Navy command distributed its requirements for the construction of new submarines to shipyards in the United States, Great Britain, France, Sweden and the Netherlands. From the subsequent offers, the Dutch one, which was the most advantageous for the Poles, won in the end.


The contract for the construction of 2 submarines (originally considered four, but the economic situation did not allow it) was signed January 29, 1936 in The Hague, when the Polish side was represented on behalf of the government by Rear Admiral Jerzy Świrski. The contract agreed that 85% of the total construction costs (around 21 million złotych) would be paid by Poland in the form of supplies of agricultural products. The Dutch also promised to take some of the raw materials and semi-finished products for construction directly from the contracting country. Part of the cost, especially for the construction of the first of the submarines - ORP "Orzeł", was also covered by the proceeds of the collection in the Polish army and among the population (eg each officer and non-commissioned officer had to pay 0.5% of their monthly salary). The first submarine was to be completed no later than 30 months, the second by 33 months.


The design was commissioned by the design office Nederlandsche Veerenigde Scheepsbouw Bureaux in The Hague, specifically Polish engineer in the Dutch service Kazimierz Leski (in his own words, not so much because of the quality of his work, but because he was able to communicate with his natives without any problems) and collaborated. it also includes representatives of the Polish Shipbuilding Department (Wydział Budowy Okrętów) from PMW. The project was very similar to the Dutch type O-19, which was built at the same time as both Polish submarines, and was designed for service in the Indian Ocean and in the colonies. Compared to the older type "Wilk", more modern procedures were used (eg a much wider range of welding), a fast submarine was designed, which could dive to a depth of 100 meters, was able to travel 7,000 nautical miles and stayed up to 3 months outside the base, with strong armament: 12 torpedoes caliber 550 mm (4 separate torpm in the bow, 4 separate torpedo in the stern and 2 double rotating torpedoes in the center of the ship) which could be adapted to the English torpedoes caliber 533 type "AB" - the submarine could carry up to 20 torpedoes. Furthermore, 1x 105 mm Bofors cannon in a rotating covered station in front of the tower and 1x anti-aircraft two-barrel automatic cannon caliber 40 mm, again Bofors, which could be launched into a watertight well at the top of the tower and did not disturb the aerodynamic shape of the fuselage. Originally, a heavy, double-barreled machine gun caliber 13.2 mm type Hotchkiss was to be mounted, but (although this machine gun is often listed in the armament of both sister submarines ORP "Orzeł" and ORP "Sęp") he remained only on paper in the project phase, he never appeared on ships. Similarly, in the beginning, the Navy command considered equipping both submarines with a small reconnaissance seaplane, but this was eventually abandoned, as they would suffer primarily from the stability and aerodynamics of the ship.
Components from several European countries were used in the construction, eg the propeller shafts were from Czechoslovakia, cannons from Sweden, gyrocompasses from Germany, the Poles supplied battery batteries, periscope optics and radio equipment. It should be noted that at the time of its creation, the ORP "Orzeł" was one of the most modern submarines in the world.



ORP building "Orzeł"





The keel of the first of the submarines, the future ORP "Orzeł" was laid 14. August 1936 at the shipyard NV Koninklijke Maatschapij 'De Schelde' in Vlissingen, keel of the second submarine, future ORP „Sęp“, 17. November of the same year at the Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij in Rotterdam. 28. May 1937, by order of the then Polish Minister of Military Affairs, it was decided to name the newly built submarines as ORP "Orzeł" and ORP „Sęp“.
ORP "Orzeł" was, with the participation of representatives of both states and an honorary unit of the Dutch navy, ceremoniously launched 15. January 1938. The baptism of the submarine was performed by General Sosnkowski's wife, Jadwig. The festive moment was somewhat disturbed by the "accident". It so happened that after the release of the security, the submarine's hull did not want to descend from the ship's slide to the water. This was probably due to a layer of Vaseline that was slipped on the chute and solidified due to the severe frosts that prevailed at the time. At first, the tugboat "En Avant" tried to pull it off with a steel rope, and only after an hour did two powerful locomotives, coupled behind the hull, finally succeed.



Baptism participants - in the middle of Mrs. Jadwiga Sosnkowska



Launching ORP "Orzeł"





The submarine was tied to the waterfront and finishing work continued. These lasted until June 1938, then the ORP "Orzeł" was towed to the dock for final completion. In the summer, part of the future crew arrived in Vlissingen, especially non-commissioned officers - specialists who were to be heads of individual departments. The commander, Komandor podporucznik Henryk Kłoczkowski, Deputy Commander, Captain Józef Chodakowski and Torpedo Officer, Lieutenant Marshal Andrzej Piasecki also arrived. Everyone was to get acquainted with their future ship and go through a period of sea trials with it. At the end of July and in August, engine tests were performed three times at the waterfront and finally, 23. August 1938, the submarine first sailed out to sea - to the Skalda Delta. She was commanded by assigned Dutch officers, led by Captain van Dongen. The rest of the crew consisted of Poles and several shipyard workers. On his return to the port, Captain van Dongen, who had experience mainly with smaller units, misjudged the mooring maneuver and ran the bow of the submarine into the bridge connecting the pier in the inner harbor, damaged the ridge on the bow used to cut anti-submarine nets and the submarine stranded. Only with the help of ballast tanks did the ship be released. 21. September 1938 the submarine sailed for further tests, torpedoed, to the base of the Dutch Navy in Den Helder. The tests lasted about 10 days and after their successful completion, ORP "Orzeł" returned to Vlissingen 1. November. Already 12. November sails again, this time to Norwegian waters, to the Horten base in Oslofjord to take test dives and speed tests. The submarine was tested until the end of November and 2. December returned to Holland. The last tests were last placed here in the dock and under the supervision of the Polish acceptance commission. 2. February 1939 the Polish flag was ceremoniously hoisted on the mast and the ORP "Orzeł" was handed over to the Polish Navy. 5.February 1939 then set out for Gdynia.



ORP "Orzeł" at De Schelde shipyard



Pre-war service and the beginning of the war.


ORP "Orzeł" has arrived in Gdynia already 7. February 1939, although on the way he had to fight a strong storm that raged in the North Sea. Meanwhile, he remained in the war port of Oksywie and 10. February 1939, during the PMW holiday, was officially welcomed and introduced to the public (up to 30,000 people attended the ceremony). On this occasion, they attached a sign to the tower stating that the submarine was built from the proceeds of the population collection.
The crew then worked hard with the new submarine until the summer - participated in various exercises and especially patrol cruises to get used to the new weapon and be able to make the best use of it. The routes of these patrols led mainly to the German base Pillau (today's Baltijsk), where mainly steamers belonging to the so-called Seedienst-Ostpreussen, supplying the ports of East Prussia from bases III, were monitored. empire. There were also incidents where German fast boats suddenly appeared, which "trained" to watch the Polish submarine or similarly behaving German aircraft.
1. June 1939 replaced the current deputy commander in his capacity captain marynarki Jan Grudziński, transferred from a sister submarine [ url=/topic/view/71151] ORP „Sęp“[/url]. 17. July then ORP "Orzeł" became the flagship of the Submarine Division.
24. August 1939 was ordered to mobilize the Submarine Division, the submarine was mounted detonators in torpedoes, replenished supplies and spare parts, the commander also received 9000 USD in gold and Polish banknotes.


Beginning of the war, 1. September 1939, found ORP "Orzeł" in the port of Oksywie, where he was moored together with another submarine ORP "Wilk". The other three submarines were based in the port of Hel. The deployment of submarines was related to their intended operational sectors in the event of war. At 5h in the morning, an order arrived from the commander of the Submarine Division of Hel, ordering all submarines to immediately set sail for the marked sectors. However, the ORP "Orzeł" could not, unlike other submarines, set sail. Komandor podporacznik Kłoczkowski allowed part of the crew from Oksywia to spend the night in their homes. He himself was not on a submarine, but on shore. The crew was incomplete, so when the 6h morning, three German bombers attacked the port of Gdynia, the submarine still remained moored at the embankment and waited for the rest of the crew and commander to return. He arrived only after an hour and a half, and the ORP "Orzeł" was finally able to set sail around at seven o'clock in the morning (so far on the surface). At sea later came an order ordering the submarines to operate below the surface and also to open a sealed envelope X, containing the guidelines of the "Worek" plan. According to this directive, the ORP "Orzeł" was to operate in the sector within the Gdańsk Bay (Zatoka Gdańska) on the line: lighthouse in Jastarno - Wisła estuary. The submarine spent the rest of the day submerged, from time to time in periscope depth, as the commander observed the surrounding surface, the surrounding coast and the sky. Unfortunately, the situation was unfavorable, the Luftwaffe had no enemy in the air and its planes were flying across the sky with impunity, including a large number of reconnaissance aircraft, so Commander Kłoczkowski could only risk very short and quick observations. In the evening, the submarine radio operator, Bosman Kotecki, received two radio communications - the first from the headquarters, which announced the dates of other communications for submarines and the second, from the submarine ORP "Wilk", announcing the sighting of German destroyers of the type "Leberecht Maass". After dark, the ORP "Orzeł" surfaced to recharge the batteries.


In the morning, 2.September 1939, the submarine sank again and continued to patrol. The morning was relatively quiet, but in the afternoon, when Komandor podporucznik Kłoczkowski watched the raid on Gdynia with a periscope, the Germans probably saw the ORP "Orzeł" because several bombs landed near the ship, sailing at periscope depth. As soon as the planes took off, the commander gave the order to emerge to ventilate the interior. The submarine was already under the surface for almost 10 hours and it was necessary to count on another 6 hours underwater - until dusk. Interestingly, the headquarters planned to use the submarine that day to attack the German battleship "Schleswig-Holstein". However, the submarine did not catch the telegram, and the plan eventually fell through anyway, because the German ship did not leave the port channel. The ORP "Orzeł" spent the rest of the day below the surface, and only shortly before 8 pm the submarine re-emerged to recharge the batteries. The sea was quite lively, especially from the smaller Polish ships that crossed the bay. The submarine met one of them - the motorboat "M-9.", From which it received brief information about the raids on Gdynia and the fight of Polish minesweepers with the Luftwaffe. The night was very clear, but it went smoothly, although the submarine, for fear of a raid, sank several times during it.


3. September early in the morning, the ORP "Orzeł" sank again, this time for the whole 16 hours, only a few times emerged to periscope depth. But he didn't see anything all day. He reappeared in the dark about an hour later, around 21:15 spotted 2 German destroyers, which fortunately did not approach (They were probably "Leberecht Maass" a "Wolfganag Zenker" from the base in Pillau and in the morning attacked ships in the port of Hel). At 22:00, however, the silhouette of the submarine was recognized ORP "Wilk", which operated in the neighboring sector. The two ships approached at a distance that allowed for a loud conversation, and the two submarine commanders spoke for a moment about future battles.


4. September 1939, at 8h morning, Komandor podporucznik Kłoczkowski issued the first with his controversial orders. He decided that the submarine was too exposed to the danger of air attacks and ordered to change course to the north and leave the bay. He practically violated the orders, which was met with protests, especially his deputy, Captain Marynarki Jan Grudziński, who demanded that this step informed the headquarters, which Kłoczkowski refused. There was also a danger that a "stray" submarine would enter the sector of another submarine and could be mistaken for an enemy. It should be noted that Grudziński did not just "catch up" with Kłoczkovsky and communication between them was not a very good example of cooperation. Henryk Kłoczkowski himself is a very controversial figure in the Polish navy. Before the war he was considered the best Polish submarineer, during the war, mainly due to his orders, behavior and later his role in the "Tallinn case", he was convicted and demoted. Even today, many Poles consider him a coward and a traitor.
At 15:05, as the submarine approached the surface so that it could extend the periscope, a German bomber was spotted. Although the submarine immediately sank and tried to escape from where it could be seen, several depth charges were dropped and on another attempt to emerge, around 16h, it was bombed again. One of the bombs exploded very close and caused minor damage. However, the submarine managed to escape from the bombed area at a considerable depth. The attack had a rather negative effect on the submarine's crew, but especially on the commander himself, who, instead of trying to encourage the team and set an example himself, fell into a strong depression, which deepened over time.Until the evening, the submarine lay at the bottom, because Captain Kłoczkowski did not want to risk the danger of discovering his ship. It was not until 22:00, in accordance with his earlier decision, that he issued an order to sail north. The submarine surfaced shortly before midnight to recharge the batteries and exchange the exhaled air inside the ship. After midnight, a call for help was intercepted twice from the submarine ORP "Ryś", which at that time was fighting the pursuers. However, it was not in the power of the ORP "Orzeł" to rush to the endangered comrade-in-arms, moreover, Commander Kłoczkowski was looking for a route for German transport ships and did not want to "climb into the mouth of enemy warships".


In the morning, 5. September 1939, the submarine sank again and sailed further north. Explosions were heard several times during the day, but the periscope showed only an empty sea. It wasn't until 19:30 that ORP "Orzeł" emerged near the island of Gotland, to recharge the batteries. He also intercepted a radio message from Hel ordering the submarines to change the previously marked sectors. It turned out that the earlier order of the commander of the ORP "Orzeł" "overtook" the order from the headquarters and the submarine was even much further north than its new area of operations.


The next two days, 6. and September 7 took place at rest, the submarine patrolled near Gotland, but did not meet any ships that could attack. Evening, 7. September 1939, ORP "Orzeł" established a connection with its sister ship ORP "Sęp", which was also located at Gotland at the time. He informed her that he was sailing north and the ORP "Sęp" moved to the coast of another island - Őland. ORP "Orzeł" continued on the northern course, sailed (fortunately without damage) and through the minefield.


In these and the following days, the status of the submarine commander, Commander of the Supporting Henryk Kłoczkowski, began to deteriorate. From September 8 he did not eat any food, he only drank tea. His deputy, Jan Grudziński, visited him in the cabin and Kłoczkowski complained that he was very seriously ill, he even mentioned typhus. Grudziński didn't think much of it and didn't believe him. When he later discussed this with Lieutenant Piasecki, the third on board ORP "Orzeł", he marveled at the commander's sudden illness. Grudziński expressed his assumption that Kłoczkowski was afraid to fight and indirectly called him a coward.
Several crew members also complained of health problems, but these were of a different nature than Kłoczkowski's. In addition to these problems, the condition of the submarine also began to deteriorate, among other things, the compressor cylinder broke, which could not be repaired without a welder or spare part (none of this was on board).
Grudziński urged the commander for two days to inform the base about his health and the condition of the submarine. Kłoczkowski refused, as did the temporary entrustment of command to his deputy. During these days, the submarine saw no ship, either hostile or neutral.


Only 10. September 1939 finally decided to inform the command of his status. After communication with the base, ORP "Orzeł" was selected. Either land the commander in some neutral port and the command would be taken over by the deputy commander or sail back to the port of Hel and take the new commander on board. The decision was left to Kłoczkovsky. He made his decision for almost two days, during which his health worsened. He therefore chose the first option.
13. September announced to the officers his decision and to the great surprise of all ordered to take a course to Tallinn, Estonia, although at the time he was relatively close to neutral Sweden. Moreover, Estonia was neutral, but its government was known to sympathize with fascist Germany.He informed PMW headquarters of his decision on the same day.


Meanwhile, 12. September 1939, another incident took place on board the ORP "Orzeł", when the submarine spotted a lone transport ship, which Grudziński identified as the German steamer "Bremen". He asked that, in accordance with international law, the ship be stopped and its documents checked. However, Kłoczkowski disagreed, described the ship as the Norwegian steamer "Bergen" and went back to the cabin, which Grudziński completely dismayed. (According to another version, Kłoczkowski did not want to attack the ship, identified as a German steamer, because according to him it was empty and not a sufficiently attractive target).


The ORP "Orzeł" headed northeast, circumnavigating the Moonsund Islands and sailed into the Gulf of Finland. Unseen, the island of Naissaar at the mouth of the Gulf of Tallinn and the Paljassaar Peninsula and 14 passed unnoticed. September 1939, around 21:30, sailed on a raid on the Estonian capital and port of Tallinn.


Continuation .......


Resources:
PEREPECZKO, Andrzej: Storm over the Atlantic Part 1. 1st edition. Prague: Our Army 2004. 200 pp. ISBN 80-206-0725-0, from the Polish original Burza nad Atlantykiem, Warsaw 1999 translated by Evžen Škňouřil
HRBEK, Ivan, HRBEK, Jaroslav: Salvo nad vlnami: Od shirrel na Westerplatte po zazu Bismarcka. 1st edition. Prague: Our Army 1993. 336p. ISBN 80-206-0319-0
www.orzelorp.republika.pl
www.orzel.one.pl
www.orporzel.prv.pl
www.1939.pl/epizody/e_orzel.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://pl.wikipedia.org/
http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/
www.mdk2.lublin.pl

History of ORP "Orzeł" - Part II





Tallinn


As soon as the ORP "Orzeł" appeared on the Tallinn road, he joined the shore and asked permission to enter the port. In half an hour, a pilot's boat appeared. After talking to the captain, the Estonians were informed of the captain's illness and the technical problems of the submarine. The boat sailed for orders, ordering Polish submarines to wait for now. At about 01:30, another boat appeared, with Estonian officers and sailors, who informed the submarine that the authorities had allowed it to enter the port. Soon another boat, occupied by sailors, came next to the ORP "Orzeł". They, without any permission, began to jump on the outer ballast tanks to get on board the Polish ship. Komandor podporucznik Kłoczkowski immediately ordered to increase the speed, the submarine jerked, some uninvited guests fell into the water, others jumped back on the boat. The artillery occupied the ship's cannon and aimed its barrel at the boat. After a brief, sharp exchange of views, only one officer was allowed to board. The Estonians then escorted the ORP "Orzeł" to the port.


In the morning, September 15, 1939, Komandor podporucznik Kłoczkowski handed over command to his deputy Grudziński, packed all his personal belongings, including some other things from the commander's cabin (allegedly eg typewriter, etc.) and accompanied by the submarine navigator, podporacznika marynarki Marian Tadeusz Mokrski, went to the commander of the Estonian fleet, where the Polish military attaché was also waiting for him, Lt. Col. Szczekowski. The two Polish naval officers learned that the Estonians had allowed the ORP "Orzeł" to stay in port for 24 hours so that he could make repairs, and after this period prescribed by international law (Hague Convention), the submarine had the right to leave Tallinn. At the same time, however, they were told that the German merchant ship "Thalassa", which was about to set sail, also resided in the port. Thus, in accordance with international law, ORP "Orzeł" must not leave the port until 24 hours after the departure of the German ship. Subsequently, Kłoczkowski and Mokrský went to the hospital, where the commander remained and the navigator returned to the submarine and informed the current commander Jan Grudziński about situation.
Shortly afterwards, an Estonian officer arrived aboard the ORP "Orzeł" and told the submarine commander that due to the Thalassa's departure, the submarine's stay in Tallinn had been extended to 48 hours. That was fine, and the Poles accepted this fact almost with satisfaction, because Grudziňski wanted to allow the crew to rest after combat operations. After lunch, he also allowed a group of sailors to go to the city spa. However, Polish officers soon became suspicious that the "Thalasse" (whose crew, as soon as a Polish submarine appeared in the port, immediately withdrew the Nazi flag and removed the insignia of the Third Reich) did not show any signs of preparations for departure. In addition, an Estonian gunboat "Laine" was moored near the submarine. This was soon explained, as in the afternoon a senior Estonian naval officer with a group of armed sailors arrived aboard the ORP "Orzeł". He brought with him a letter with the decision of the Estonian authorities to intern the Polish submarine. The reason given was the extension of the ORP "Orzeł" stay in the port. Kapitan marynarki Grudziński vehemently protested against this apparent violation of international law, pointing out that the extension of the submarine's stay in Tallinn was ordered by local authorities. Unfortunately, due to the main works of Estonian warships in the area, aimed at a Polish ship, he had to surrender. The entire crew then watched in anger and pain as the Estonian officer stepped over to the stern and served the Polish flag from the pole. As soon as the Polish flag disappeared, the Germans raised the swastika flag on the "Thalasse" again, rejoicing in the enemy's internment.The Estonians also immediately picked up the logbook and navigation maps, podporacznik marynarki Mokrski was able to secretly save only the list of lighthouses and navigation lights in the Baltic.





second submarine commander - captain marynarki Jan Grudziński



The unprecedented and law-abiding internment of the Polish submarine was due to pressure from the German ambassador (probably also the Soviet), who was informed of the arrival of the ORP "Orzeł" and immediately reported everything to Berlin. The Germans were obviously trying to get rid of the dangerous enemy in the least painful way.


The sailors from the submarine who went to the spa were examined by a doctor and one of them, Mat M.Barwiński, was taken to hospital due to extensive rashes.
Grudziński was later allowed to go accompanied by an Estonian officer to the Polish embassy, where he received permission to destroy all secret documents, ciphers, dispatches and minefield maps.
ORP "Orzeł" was towed to the depths of the inner port, moored and a three-member guard was stationed next to the submarine. A telephone line was connected to the submarine's headquarters, connected to the port administration, and an Estonian NCO was patrolling the telephone. Two other Estonian sailors patrolled outside. One on board, the other on shore.
At night, almost no one narrowed their eyes, the officers gathered in the dining room, and the team at the submarine's headquarters. It is almost certain that the idea of escaping from Tallinn was born in both places at the same time, but today it is difficult to determine who was the main initiator. The main organizer was supposed to be the acting deputy commander, an experienced submarine officer, lieutenant marynarki Andrzej Piasecki called "Pablo". In any case, the next day the submarine crew deployed all forces to keep the submarine in working order.





Deputy Commander of the Submarine - Lieutenant Marshal Andrzej Piasecki





In the morning, September 16, 1939, the Estonians began to disarm the submarine. They confiscated all the small arms they found on the submarine, but Bosnian Jan Piezg managed to hide one revolver. They also collected the conclusions of all artillery, took artillery shells from the submarine and began unloading torpedoes. It was hard, strenuous work, which the Polish sailors tried to disturb them as best they could.
In the morning, the British naval attache Giffey also came to visit the crew of the ORP "Orzeł". However, he was not allowed to meet with the commander Grudziński or anyone with Polish officers. So he left his business card with a Polish sailor, where he later Jan Grudziński found a short message “Good luck. God bless You ″.
In the evening, the Polish crew interrupted the Estonian torpedo unloading on the grounds that it was too late, it was time for rest, dinner and the crew's arrival in the evening. None of the tired Estonian sailors protested much. In addition, it turned out that the crane used to pull the torpedoes did not reach the stern and it would be necessary to move the submarine so that the stern torpedoes could be unloaded. After dinner, the crew and officers directly agreed to try to escape from the port with the submarine.


On Sunday, September 17, a tugboat arrived at the submarine and helped turn it so that the stern could be reached by crane. ORP "Orzeł" has now turned its bow to the mouth of the pool. The Estonians continued to unload torpedoes. Now the entire crew was trying their best to "help" the local sailors. In the end, all the work was done by practically the Poles, and the result soon came. At the agreed sign, Commander Piasecki recalled aboard an Estonian officer who oversaw the unloading of torpedoes below decks. As soon as the Estonian left, two Polish sailors, Mat Feliks Prządak and Mat Paweł Giełdoń, cut the rope of the crane that was pulling the torpedoes. The Poles immediately blamed the Estonians.The damaged rope was dismantled, but since it was Sunday, another was not immediately available. Workers operating the crane, happy not to have to continue working, promised to repair the crane the very next day. 6 torpedoes remained on board the submarine.
Sabotage work continued. The chief radio operator, Bosman Henryk Kotecki, caused a short circuit and a subsequent small electric fire during the dismantling of the radio station. He then clarified to a trusting sergeant who was overseeing his work that it was necessary to reassemble the entire radio station and find a mistake. The soldier did not protest a word. The head of the mechanical department, senior boss Wacław Foterek, again categorically informed the Estonians that before the main machines could be disassembled and the main shafts disconnected, everything would have to be cleaned and lubricated before disassembly began. The Estonians did not press him.
Bosman Władysław Narkiewicz pretended to fish in a small boat on a small boat. In fact, he carefully measured the depth around the submarine and in the direction of the expected escape.
Mat Jan Olejnik and mat Ignacy Świebocki received passes and had a friendly conversation with several Estonian sailors in front of the port. From them, they learned about evening hours on local warships and coastal batteries, the customs of local military and port authorities, the location of headlights and electrical cables, and many other useful information.
Two other sailors then sawed the steel ropes that tied the submarine to the quay and the cannon boat "Laine".
Preparations were made and a decision was made to try to escape at midnight. In the evening the Estonians left and the submarine was guarded by only two guards - one at the headquarters by telephone and the other on the shore by the footbridge. The Poles were relaxed and friendly, even sharing food with the guards. It was agreed that the signal to neutralize both guards would be issued by Lieutenant Piasecki, who also selected sailors for the task. Jim also categorically ordered them to try to neutralize both guards as bloodlessly as possible.
Bossman Piezga, the only one who managed to hide the revolver, was at headquarters. Before midnight, the plan was disrupted by the unexpected arrival of an Estonian officer, who soon left again.


September 18, 1939 at 02:00 the event started. At the signal of Lieutenant Piasecki, Mat Olejnik and Mat Świebocki went ashore and, under the pretext of borrowing matches, began a conversation with the guard. After a while, they offered him a tour of the ship's cannon. As soon as the Estonian stepped on board, they stunned him in an instant and dragged him inside the submarine. Almost at the same time, Bosman neutralized Piezga with a second Estonian revolver at headquarters. Mat Teodor Pokrywka brought the phone ashore, and senior Marine Franciszek Chojecki used an ax to cut a strong electric cable on the shore, connecting the submarine to the waterfront. The harbor immediately plunged into darkness. Meanwhile, the entire crew on the submarine was already stationed and Captain Marynarki Grudziński issued an order to leave. The submarine jerked hard, the sawn steel ropes burst and the ORP "Orzeł" set out for the mouth of the port.
The sleeping port came to life, the headlights on Estonian ships lit up, and one of them caught a escaping submarine. At the same moment, machine guns sounded, flares were fired, and the guards on the breakwater began firing rifles at the escaping submarine. ORP "Orzeł" circled the shoal inside the pool and headed out. Commander Grudziński followed a rough map of the bottom, which was drawn by Bosman Narkiewicz. The signalman, patrolling the bridge, shouted a warning at one point, alerting the commander to the low end of the breakwater. However, the ORP "Orzeł" moaned, his bow lifted and stopped. He got stuck right in the entrance to the harbor. Bullets from machine guns drummed on the submarine's turret, but it was a bad target, shrouded in bluish smoke from strong diesel. However, with the help of ballasts and the full power of the engines, after a while the Polish ship managed to back away and release the slightly damaged bow. The submarine changed course and set sail.As she approached Naissaar Island, 280 mm and 150 mm coastal battery cannons sounded. However, it did not fire accurately, and moreover, because the depth was already about 20 meters, ORP "Orzeł" began to dive and after a while disappeared below the surface. In a few minutes, the submarine reached the deeper waters of the Gulf of Finland, and after a few miles, the commander ordered it to sit on the bottom and turn off all engines. The Estonians immediately began to chase the submarine, the whole day that ORP "Orzeł" lay at the bottom of the bay, searching for it with ships and planes, dropping depth charges, but without success. In the evening, when the situation calmed down a bit, Captain Marynarki Grudziński gave the order and the submarine moved towards the Åland Islands. When the ORP "Orzeł" wanted to emerge around [h] 8 pm, coincidentally, he appeared on the surface about 300 meters in front of two patrolling Finnish ships. Fortunately, the Finns did not see the submarine and it immediately sank again. The commander Grudziński did not want to take risks and so he continued towards the Åland Islands. Then he could finally emerge and start recharging the batteries.





From the Baltic to England


As soon as the ORP "Orzeł" reached the surface, the captain Grudziński informed Hel in an open speech about the successful escape from Tallinn, he said. also that the submarine does not have maps or other navigation aids. Traps were intercepted at Hel and replied that the maps would be delivered to the submarine, but did not give a place. They probably assumed the commander would think of returning to Hel. However, this telegram was not captured at the ORP "Orzeł" and therefore the commander decided that Hel was conquered and the radio station destroyed.


Kapitan marynarki Grudziński, after consulting with his deputy, Lieutenant Piasecki and navigator podporacznik Mokrský, decided to stay in the Baltic for so long as long as his supplies of fuel and drinking water allow, he will do as much damage to the Germans as possible and then try to escape to England with the submarine. The most serious problem, however, was the lack of maps and other navigation aids. Without them, it was very difficult to navigate the submarine, despite the possible dangers in the form of submarine rocks, shoals and minefields. After the meeting, the officers decided to stop the first merchant ship and take the maps from her. However, because they could not count on them to succeed, the navigator, then 22-year-old marynarki Marian Tadeusz Mokrski, began preparing his own map, a remarkable cartographic work at the time. His only help was a salvaged list of beacons and navigation lights, which listed both the position and the characteristics (lighting method - colors, length of flashes, light sectors, etc.) of individual lights. On an old navigation map of a part of the Polish coast that the Estonians did not collect, he drew a network of parallels and meridians at a scale of 1: 1,500,000 and gradually drew the positions of all navigation lights, beacons and light buoys. In this way, it covered the entire Baltic region, which ORP "Orzeł" was to move on its way to England. From the beginning, the map did not outline the banks, which were later supplemented by observations and important places were named, often poetically, by the crew's own names - such as Bay of Two Estonians, Stations of the Cross, Bear Pass, etc. Podporucznik marynarki 1 ″(Map No. 1).



submarine navigator - marine supporter Marian Tadeusz Mokrski




Hand drawn map of the Baltic made by navigator - podporacznik Mokrski





In the Åland Islands, the ORP "Orzeł" changed course and headed south towards Götland. September 19, 1939 The submarine radio intercepted a BBC report announcing the news, widespread by Nazi propaganda.It talked about the unprecedented escape of the Polish submarine from Tallinn, as well as the bestial murder of both Estonian guards, whose mutilated corpses were dumped by the sea. This reminded Jan Grudziński[/url] that it is necessary to solve the problem of both Estonians.


On the night of 20. shore. Both Estonians (NCO R. Kirikmää and junior sailor B. Mahlstein) were boarded in a boat with a sufficient supply of cans, biscuits and alcohol. Jan Grudziński resistance that injured several Polish sailors. In the end, he gave everyone $ 50 to travel back home. The submarine remained in place for 1.5 hours until the boat reached the coast, several miles away. Then she headed southeast.


ORP "Orzeł" unsuccessfully patrolled for 9 days in the area of Götland and then, September 30, 1939 sailed to the island of Őland. He patrolled the area until on October 6, and sometime during this period he saw a German ship armed with a periscope, presumably heading for the Lithuanian port of Liep. The submarine tried to get into a convenient position to fire torpedoes, but when maneuvering ran aground. At one point, she was above the surface while trying to reach the high seas. Grudziński, however, did not lose his presence and ordered to signal the German ship an order to stop. Although the ship obeyed, it immediately summoned a German seaplane with an encrypted telegram, which immediately attacked the submarine. Fortunately, the ORP "Orzeł" relaxed and sank in time, and the bombs exploded harmlessly on a sandy shoal.
Lieutenant Mokrski later aptly named this place the "Bench of Fear."


October 7, 1939 the commander Grudziński finally decided to leave the Balt. Although the submarine did not sink any ships during its operation, it bound the forces of the enemy, who kept searching for her. The Germans also had to add escort ships to their convoys, because the ORP "Orzeł", as the last enemy ship in the Baltic, still posed a danger. Around 50 German ships and an unknown number of aircraft searched for the submarine in the Baltic. German radio also repeatedly called on the crew of the ORP "Orzeł" to surrender, otherwise the submarine will be destroyed.


The escape of the ORP "Orzeł" also had unexpected consequences. The Soviet cargo ship "Mettalist" docked on September 26, 1939 in the Gulf of Narev, the crew left it (on the orders of Admiral Kuznetsov) and then was sunk by the torpedo boat "Tuča" and the submarine "Šč-303". TASS then announced that the ship had been sunk by a Polish submarine. The Soviet government subsequently accused Estonia of allowing the ORP "Orzeł" to escape and is therefore unable to protect its neutrality. After constant pressure on the Estonian government, she ultimately "asked" for her troops to enter Estonia, in order to "protect" her borders. The other two Baltic states later turned out similarly.


The situation at ORP "Orzeł" deteriorated day by day. The crew was exhausted physically and mentally, several sailors were ill and the technical condition was not the best. The rudder and bolts were slightly damaged, after several collisions with shoals and rocks, it flowed slightly into the hull, fuel and drinking water supplies dwindled.


Navigator Mokrski created another map - Danish Straits and October 7, 1939 around 21:00 ORP "Orzeł" sailed around the Swedish port of Ystad and aimed west. He navigated using surveys of famous beacons and depth sounding. However, he soon had to dive because he spotted Swedish and German ships guarding the estuary. For a moment, even the light from the headlight slid down the submarine's hull, but fortunately no one saw it. The Polish ship immediately sank and flew to the bottom all night.


Early in the morning, October 8, she moved again and at 9:35 ORP "Orzeł" sailed around Trelleborg, emerged to charge batteries and ventilated below decks, and spent the rest of the day at the bottom. In the evening, at 19:45, he surfaced again and headed further north to Helsingborg. In the Drogden Canal, the crew once again experienced a moment of horror, when the submarine had to escape below the surface in front of the guard ships and, moreover, ran into an underwater reef. However, as has been the case several times, good luck and the ORP "Orzeł" escaped.


He passed Helsingborg on October 9 in the evening, during the night he got to the Kattegat and all day, October 10 here, lying at the bottom, stayed.


The next day, October 11, 1939 already sailed through the Skagerrak, where Captain Marynarki Grudziński decided to patrol all day, hoping to find a target for his torpedoes. However, the weather was bad, there was a strong wind, the sea was rough and no ship showed up. In addition, the ship's radio station broke down and the submarine could not establish contact with anyone.


October 12, 1939 ORP commander "Orzeł" finally ordered to take a course in England. The sea was still rough, and the submarine was still unable to make contact. There was a constant danger, partly due to ignorance of the placement of minefields in the area, and partly due to the possibility of attack by Allied patrol ships and aircraft. However, the submarine managed to cross the entire North Sea without incident, even though the nervous strain of the crew reached its peak.


Fortunately, the radio station finally managed to repair and October 14, 1939, early in the morning, the submarine began to broadcast an English-speaking telegram (due to missing ciphers - in the open text), indicate the position and point out missing maps. One of the coastal stations intercepted the message and passed it on to the Royal Navy. Posted destroyer HMS "Valorous" searched for the submarine for a long time before he found it, at 11:00 , about 30 Nm east of the Isle of May. After exchanging signals, when the commander of the destroyer made sure that it was really a Polish submarine, ORP "Orzeł" announced that he would accompany him to the nearest Royal Navy military base. The two warships then sailed for the Scottish port of Rosyth. After 44 days, the Polish submarine found itself in a friendly country again.


Completion ......

Resources:
PEREPECZKO, Andrzej: Storm over the Atlantic Part 1. 1st edition. Prague: Our Army 2004. 200p. ISBN 80-206-0725-0, from the Polish original Burza nad Atlantykiem, Warszawa 1999 translated by Evžen Škňouřil
HRBEK, Ivan, HRBEK, Jaroslav: Salvo nad vlnami: Od shirrel na Westerplatte po zazu Bismarcka. 1st edition. Prague: Our Army 1993. 336p. ISBN 80-206-0319-0
HRBEK, Ivan: Na mořích a oceanech. 1st edition. Praha: Panorama 1989. 312s text + 16s obraz.přílohy. 11-115-89
www.orzelorp.republika.pl
www.orzel.one.pl
www.orporzel.prv.pl
www.1939.pl/epizody/e_orzel.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://pl.wikipedia.org/

History of ORP "Orzeł" - Part III





Service in England


As soon as the ORP "Orzeł" found itself at Rosyth base, Captain marynarki Jan Grudziński asked the British for three things. Landing and hospitalizing a seriously ill cook, replenishing freshwater supplies and re-commissioning cannons. Then he made the submarine and its crew available to the British.


However, the preparation of the submarine for other events took a long time. ORP "Orzeł" had damaged rudder, propellers, ballasts, turret, the hull leaked in several places and other minor damage. It was also necessary to adapt the torpedo tubes, originally intended for "AB" type torpedoes, to the "Mark VIII" type. Therefore, it was decided to relocate the ORP "Orzeł" to the dry dock at Caledon Shipbuilding & amp; Engineering Company Ltd. in Dundee. On October 16, 1939 repairs began, which in the end did not prove to be too difficult. At the same time, another Polish submarine was repaired in the shipyard - ORP "Wilk".


November 16, 1939 visited a submarine in the dock generał Sikorski a kontradmirał [url]=https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/69165] Świrski[/url] and honored part of the ORP crew "Orzeł". Jan Grudziński received by Srebrny Krzyż Virtuti Militari(V.stupně), other officers and 16 crew members were decorated Krzyżem Walecznych.


December 1, 1939 the repair was completed and the submarine returned to Rosyth base. Here she was assigned to the 2nd submarine fleet and was given the tactical number "85 A". The base of the fleet was the floating base of submarines HMS "Forth". A British liaison officer, Lieutenant Commander D.A. Fraser, was assigned to the submarine, with two NCOs. Also the original crew of the ORP "Orzeł" was slightly modified, several old crew members landed and embarked new sailors. The news of the submarine's adventurous escape spread quickly and the entire crew was viewed with great respect.


December 8, 1939 Great Britain officially announced the presence of Polish submarines ORP "Orzeł" and ORP " Wilk " in their ports, refuting the false German propaganda about the sinking of all Polish submarines.

Because the ORP cannons "Orzeł were still inoperable (Conclusions on the Swedish Bofors cannons were not available to the British and promised to order them directly in Sweden), it was decided to use it to protect coastal convoys.
December 9, 1939 therefore the submarine sailed out to sea as a convoy protection on a short route between English ports.


December 10, 1939 then the ORP "Orzeł" personally visited the king George VI. and honored Captain Marynarki Jan Grudziński British Order Distinguished Serice Order. Winston Churchill[/url] also expressed admiration for the submarine's escape .


A few days later, until December 20, 1939, then the submarine accompanied another convoy around the British coast. Both first patrols were also used as training. The crew had to get used to the new environment, the new way of fighting and also the British liaison group had to learn to work with the Poles.


December 29, 1939 ORP "Orzeł" accompanied another convoy, this time outside British waters. Along with four British destroyers, he escorted several cargo ships from Lerwick in the Shetland Islands to Bergen, Norway. January 4, 1940 returned with another convoy to the Firth of Forth. Both voyages were without special events, the only enemy was the heavily stormy sea.


January 18, 1940 A Polish submarine set sail on its first independent patrol.Two British destroyers escorted her to the high seas, and ORP "Orzeł" headed for the Skagerrak. The patrol lasted 16 days, during the day the submarine patrolled at periscope depth, at night it emerged and recharged the battery. However, she did not see any enemy ships the whole time.


During February 1940 the submarine sailed on its second independent patrol, again to the coast of Norway. Again, however, she achieved no success.


February 26, 1940 visited the 2nd Submarine Fleet King [url=/topic/view/11735] George VI., visited ORP "Orzeł" and ORP "Wilk" and with the commander Jan Grudziński spoke privately.



ORP "Orzeł" in Rosyth early 1940


In March 1940 ORP "Orzeł" sailed on two separate patrols. The first of them, off the Norwegian coast near Stavanger, took place again without any special events, during the second, off the Dutch coast, a ship finally appeared in the periscope. The submarine slowly surfaced and sent a signal to stop the ship and check the ship's documents. A few minutes after the steamer, the boat bounced off, and after a while a nervous deck officer scrambled aboard the ORP "Orzeł". The documents were in order, it turned out to be a Danish ship carrying bacon and eggs from Denmark to England. The Danish officer was very relieved to find that he had been stopped by a Polish submarine and not a German U-boot. ORP "Orzeł" later returned to Rosyth Base.





The sinking of Rio de Janeiro


The ORP "Orzeł" sailed on its fifth independent patrol on April 3, 1940. His patrol sector was again off the coast of Norway.


Until April 6, 1940 he sailed on the surface because he was in waters controlled by the Royal Navy and the RAF. April 6 In the morning, the submarine dived to periscope depth and surfaced in the evening around 20h. It remained afloat overnight, recharging the battery.


May 7, 1940 ORP "Orzeł" arrived in the marked sector and dived again.
The whole day went without special events, at night the submarine recharged the batteries again and in the morning, April 8, 1940 continued, at periscope depth, on patrol. The weather and visibility were very good.
At 10:15, while the ORP "Orzeł" was sailing near Kristiansand, a guard officer saw through a periscope a thin streak of smoke hovering over the horizon south of the submarine. He immediately informed the commander, who had been watching the approaching ship for a long time. It was still too far to be identified, Grudziński, however, assumed that it was neutral, even though she was sailing a suspicious course from the coast of Denmark or Germany.
At 11:00, however, the ship was so close that the commander could see a single-chimney steamer of medium size, with a black hull and white superstructures. He could also read the name "Rio de Janeiro" and below it the badly painted name of the home port - "Hamburg". The ship did not carry any flag, but Grudziński no longer doubted with whom he has the honor. He sounded a combat alarm and a boarding party gathered at headquarters, under the command of the deputy commander, lieutenant marynarki Piasecký.
The ORP "Orzeł" surfaced and, using the flag code, ordered the ship to stop and bring the ship's documents to the submarine. Although the distance between the submarine and the German ship was not even 1 Nm and the flags had to be clearly visible, the steamer disobeyed the call, increased speed and tried to pass the submarine. Only when ORP "Orzeł" also increased the speed and fired two warning shots from a machine gun *), "Rio de Janeiro" pulled a signal on the mast that he understands and stopped. Movement was visible on board, and a boat was soon launched into the water, which was boarded by two people - a rower and probably an officer or captain with documents.The boat sailed several tens of meters from the ship, but then stopped and remained in one place.
In 11:20 Grudziński was simultaneously informed that the ship is sending an encrypted message, and that two fast boats are approaching from the Norwegian coast. A signal was immediately raised on the ORP "Orzeł", ordering to leave the ship, which will be torpedoed in 5 minutes. "Rio de Janeiro" replied after a while that she understood, but no preparations for leaving the ship were visible on board, no boats were launched and no one appeared on board. Captain Grudziński ran out of patience and ordered to fire a torpedo on a transport ship. However, the first combat torpedo attack of a Polish submarine failed and the torpedo passed. In a few moments, the commander gave the order for the second shot. This time the torpedo hit the center of the ship, a geyser of fire and water erupted, and a large hole appeared in the side of the steamer. "Rio de Janeiro" slowly leaned to one side, but didn't dive. The steamer's deck came to life, and a large number of people jumped and fell into the water. Their uniforms were visible through the binoculars in field gray. Another observation was interrupted by an aircraft approaching from shore (later it turned out that the aircraft was Norwegian, piloted by Lieutenant R.K. Hansen).
The submarine immediately plunged to periscope depth, circling the German ship and at [13:20 [a: b) aaaaaa] fired a third torpedo from the other side. This time the German steamer broke and quickly sank below the surface. First the bow sank, a few minutes later the stern. Captain marynarki Grudziński informed the Admiralty about the sinking of the ship, the submarine left the site of the attack and continued to patrol the marked area.
After 16h, the Polish submarine returned to the site of the "Rio de Janeiro" sinking and found a swaying corpse in Wehrmacht uniforms on the surface. Around 21h, the British then knew that a British submarine had sunk the German transport ship "Rio de Janeiro" with a displacement of 6800 tons, and that the invasion of Norway had begun.



German steamer "Rio de Janeiro"





It later emerged that the "Rio de Janeiro" was part of Operation "Weserübung" - a German attack on Norway and transported about 400 German soldiers (including 97 members of the Luftwaffe) with weapons and equipment and about 80 horses. Until the attack of the Polish submarine, the Admiralty had no idea about the ongoing operation. The ORP "Orzeł" attack was the first concrete evidence of an invasion. However, the main invading forces were already several hours before the sunken ship. Some of the Germans were rescued by Norwegian fishing boats and German patrol boats. The rescued Germans later even claimed to the Norwegians that they were on their way to Bergen to help defend Norway from the planned invasion of the British and French.


The night from 8. around noon, 3 German patrol boats appeared in the ORP patrol sector "Orzeł" - large fishing trawlers, adapted to fight submarines. The submarine carefully moved away and did not emerge until around midnight to recharge the batteries.


April 10, 1940, around 6h in the morning, ORP "Orzeł" sank again and returned to the patrol post. 3 German ships were still in place, combing the area. Captain marynarki Grudziński decided to attack German ships. He waited for the group to split up, and before noon he ordered two torpedoes to be fired at a group of two trawlers, sailing close together. Immediately after the attack, however, the Polish submarine unexpectedly became the target of a German bomber raid, which attacked it with ordinary air bombs. ORP "Orzeł" immediately dived, so the commander did not see the result of his attack. However, a few minutes later, they heard two distant submarine explosions in the submarine, from which Grudziński judged that the attack was successful.The submarine sank to a depth of 50 meters and slowly moved away from the endangered area. It was not until late in the afternoon that the ORP "Orzeł" approached cautiously and emerged to periscope depth. On the surface, the commander saw only 2 German ships.


The next day, April 11, 1940, ORP "Orzeł" discovered a large transport ship in the morning, with a displacement of about 15,000 tons. However, before he could attack, he was attacked by German bombers and the remaining two trawlers, which were still nearby. The attacks lasted several hours, but in the meantime the current carried the submarine into the depths of the fjord, out of reach of enemy depth charges. Only in the evening, around 20 h, the commander Grudziński dared to emerge on the periscope depth and look at the situation. The Polish ship then surfaced and began recharging the batteries.


Shortly after midnight, however, the ORP "Orzeł" rediscovered German ships and the pursuit began again. This time the Germans were particularly hardened, and all day, on April 12, they searched for submarines and dropped depth charges. ORP "Orzeł" several times found itself beyond the limit of its design, permitted depth - 80 meters. It was not until the evening that the German ships sailed, probably concluding that the submarine had been destroyed. The Polish ship could finally rise above the surface and charge the batteries.


In the morning April 13 ORP "Orzeł" received an order to change the patrol sector. He dived in and around noon he was already patrolling in a new area near the north coast of Denmark. During the day, a Polish submarine was unexpectedly attacked by an enemy fighter, which shot it from machine guns. However, it did not cause any serious damage.


Until April 14 the evening was relatively calm, around 20h the submarine saw 3 large submarine fighters, so it sank and reappeared on the surface until a few hours later to recharge the batteries and restore fresh air.


April 15, 1940, around 10:00 When a submarine watched German submarine fighters with a periscope, it unexpectedly surfaced (probably due to an error rudder operators) and was seen by the Germans. ORP "Orzeł" immediately sank, but the German ships immediately attacked. Before the submarine was stabilized, it sank to a depth of 105 meters, which was her new record. Once the situation was managed, the ORP "Orzeł" slowly left the place of its emergence in a sponge of about 50 meters. During this time he was constantly bombed. Over the last few days, more than 110 depth charges (some sources say as many as 200) have been dropped on the submarine without causing any damage.
The submarine did not re-emerge until around midnight, after more than 22 hours below the surface.


April 16, 1940, as soon as ORP "Orzeł" was on the surface again, Captain marynarki Grudziński issued an order to return to base. The whole day went without special events, but the next day, April 17, the submarine had to escape below the surface in front of a German bomber, which was seen by a patrol. Dropped bombs missed her by far. A few hours later, a patrol saw three destroyers in the periscope, which had been identified as British. ORP "Orzeł" emerged and after the exchange of signals continued sailing.


April 18, 1940, after more than a two-week voyage, before noon the submarine reappeared at the base in Rosyth.








*) Author's note: This information comes from the sick Erych Sopoćek, who took part in this voyage and later stayed on shore. According to some sources, the ORP "Orzeł" was supposed to be armed with a Hotchkiss double-barreled machine gun, but most of the most credible sources state that this armament remained only on paper. Also on the plan of the submarine machine guns are not visible. It is therefore interesting what they fired on "Rio de Janeiro" from a Polish submarine, because the deck cannons were demonstrably still inoperable at that time. It would also be illogical for Estonians to take the conclusions from the cannons and leave the conclusion from the machine gun on the ship.Most likely, therefore, the British armed the ORP "Orzeł" with a machine gun, probably unfolded. This hypothesis is also supported by the mention of one crew member about the use of a Lewis machine gun against an attacking aircraft.



ORP "Orzeł" in England





End


ORP "Orzeł" remained at the base for 10 days and then, April 28, sailed on his next patrol to the North Sea. Nothing extraordinary happened during this voyage, the submarine did not attack any ship, only 10. May 1940 was attacked by a German aircraft. The ORP "Orzeł" was lucky again and the attack went unscathed. The very next day, the submarine returned to base in Rosyth.


The stay in the port was somewhat extended this time, because the ordered conclusions were finally delivered from Sweden to the Bofors on-board works. They had to be installed and tested.
During his stay in the port, Captain marynarki Grudziński officially confirmed on paper the authorship of the support of Mokrski, which related to his hand-drawn map of the Baltic and Danish Straits. Also, several crew members who were ill were replaced by new sailors.


May 23, 1940, at 23 h, ORP "Orzeł" sailed on its next patrol. It had a marked sector west of the Skagerrak - somewhere between the east coast of Scotland and the south coast of Norway. From now on, there are no reports of submarines. The site was to be May 25, 1940.


June 1, 1940, at 15:06, the base at Rosyth sent the submarine an order to change the sector, June 2 in 10:02 then another order, according to which the ORP "Orzeł" was to sail to another sector, where he was to patrol from June 4, 1940. This sector was located even 70 Nm west of Aalborg, Denmark. June 5, 1940 then the base Rosyth ordered Polish submarines to June 6 at 22:00 ended the patrol and returned to base. A return date was also set for the base - June 8, 1940 in the morning. When the ORP "Orzeł" did not appear at the appointed time, on the same day, at 12:12, a trap was sent asking for the current position of the submarine. However, this trap, as before, remained unanswered ……


On the day of the expected return, June 8, 1940, the ORP "Orzeł" was officially declared missing by the British Admiralty.


June 11, 1940 The command of the Polish Navy in London issued the following communiqué: (uważać należy za stracony. " (Due to lack of any information and non-return from patrol within the specified period - the submarine of the Republic of Poland" Orzeł "must be considered lost)





Many theories, some of them more or less fantastic, have been stated and written about the reason and place of the sinking of the ORP "Orzeł" since in June 1940. The fact remains, however, that the wreck of the submarine has not been found to date, so the hypothesis remains the official version of the British Admiralty, that ORP "Orzeł" hit a mine May 25, 1940 in an unmarked minefield and as a result of the damage it sank with the entire crew. This version is still considered by historians to be the most probable.


The history and experiences of the ORP "Orzeł" have made this submarine (especially in Poland) a legend that has nothing to do with, for example, the RMS legend "Titanic".





Resources:
PEREPECZKO, Andrzej: Storm over the Atlantic 1.díl. 1st edition. Prague: Our Army 2004. 200p. ISBN 80-206-0725-0, from the Polish original Burza nad Atlantykiem, Warszawa 1999 translated by Evžen Škňouřil
HRBEK, Ivan, HRBEK, Jaroslav: Salvo nad vlnami: Od shots on Westerplatte to the destruction of Bismarck. 1st edition.Prague: Our Army 1993. 336p. ISBN 80-206-0319-0
DOBŘICHOVSKÝ, Zdeněk: Submarines sail ... ... 1st edition. Prague: Work 1985. 344s text + 40s attachments. 601/22/826
www.orzelorp.republika.pl
www.orzel.one.pl
www.orporzel.prv.pl
www.1939.pl/epizody/e_orzel.htm
http://marynarkawojenna.pl/start_n.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://pl.wikipedia.org/
www.mdk2.lublin.pl/ORPOrzel/orzelmenu.html
www.moje-morze.pl/orzel2.html

Crew ORP "Orzeł", which disappeared along with the submarine:


komandor podporucznik Jan Grudziński - velitel submarines
captain marynarki Andrzej Piasecki - Deputy Commander
captain marynarki Florian Roszak
lieutenant marynarki Marian Tadeusz Mokrski - torpedo officer
lieutenant marynarki Henryk Kamiński
lieutenant marynarki Jerzy Sosnowski
chorary marriage Józef Stelmaszyk
chorąży marynarki Wacław Foterek - chief engineer
podchorąży Edmund Brocki
older bosman Henryk Kotecki - chief radio operator
older bosman Władysław Narkiewicz
bosman Józef Adamowicz
bosman Jan Brzęczka
bosman Paweł Giełdoń
bosman Aleksander Kamecki
bosman Julian Kozowy
bosman Stanisław Mucha
bosman Jan Piegza
bosman Stanisław Samotus
bosman Wiktor Dąbrowski
bosmanmat Wojciech Hetman
bosmanmat Jan Kasprzak
bosmanmat Edmund Leśniak
bosmanmat Jan Olejnik
bosmanmat Teofil Piechota
bosmanmat Teodor Pokrywka
bosmanmat Bronisław Prokudowicz
bosmanmat Tomasz Prządka
bosmanmat Julian Skarbek
bosmanmat Zygmunt Sosnowski
bosmanmat Ignacy Świebocki
bosmanmat Wacław Szubert
bosmanmat Jan Torbus
mat Paweł Czopp
mat Paweł Górny
mat Wacław Halaczek
mat Stefan Janaszek
mat Józef Kapuściński
mat Henryk Rebizant
mat Zdzisław Wilwer
senior marynarz Franciszek Chojecki
senior marynarz Alojzy Gettka
senior marynarz Henryk Grabowski
senior marynarz Roman Hagno
senior marynarz Wiesław Jakubowski
senior marynarz Józef Jarmuż
senior marynarz Roman Jasiński
senior marynarz Emil Krystek
senior marynarz Maksymilian Rudolf Kühn
senior marynarz Kazimierz Mazurkiewicz
senior marynarz Mariusz Mączarski
senior marynarz Zdzisław Mońko
senior marynarz Zygmunt Nowak
senior marynarz Leonard Palowicz
senior marynarz [Sz: Jandal] Jan Szal
senior marynarz Piotr Jan Zydroń
marynarz Zbigniew Kawa
marynarz Józef Prociuk
marynarz Stanisław Uliczny


Most crew members have served on the submarine since the beginning of the war.
Along with the Poles, 3 members of the British liaison group also died.





The following crew members did not take part in the last voyage of the submarine:

podporacznik marynarki Stanisław Pierzchlewski - died on October 8, 1943 # 244562] ORP "Hurricane"[/url]
chorąży Eryk Sopoćko - died on October 8, 1943 in a destroyer ORP "Hurricane"
bosmat Władysław Oczkowski
bosmat Czesław Olesiński
bosmat Marek Oldakowski
mat Alojzy Grewka
mat Jan Krawczyński
mat Feliks Prządak - was the only one to return to Poland after the war
senior marynarz Antoni Szymczak





source: www.moje-morze.pl/orzel2.html

A hand-drawn map of the Baltic produced by the navigator - podporucznik Mokrski, displayed in thePolish Institute and Museum of Gen. Sikorski in London


"The navigator, then 22-year-old midshipman Marian Tadeusz Mokrski, began to prepare his own map, a remarkable cartographic work for the time. His only help was a salvaged list of lighthouses and navigation lights, which gave both the positions and the characteristics (the way of illumination - colours, length of flashes, sectors of lights, etc.) of each light. On an old navigational chart of part of the Polish coast, which the Estonians did not collect, he drew a grid of parallels and meridians at a scale of 1:1 500 000 and successively plotted the positions of all navigation lights, beacons and light buoys. In this way, he covered the entire area of the Baltic, which the ORP 'Orzeł' was to navigate on its way to England. At the beginning, the map did not contain the outlines of the shores, which were later supplemented according to observations, and important places were named, often poetically, by the crew's own names - e.g. the Bay of Two Estonians, the Cross Road, Bear Pass, etc. Lieutenant Mokrski called his work "Mapa Nr.1."


source : visit + own photo

To complement this excellent article and to confirm the fact that the history and experiences of the crew of the ORP "Orzeł" made this submarine a legend in Poland, I would like to add information about the film transcription of a famous episode from its history - the escape of the submarine from the Estonian port of Tallinn in September 1939.
In 1958, a very successful war film Orzeł was made in Poland based on this event. The Polish Navy actively participated in the production of this film and the main role - the submarine ORP Orzeł was "played" by its sister ship ORP Sęp .

Hi. I was from 20 July to 30 July 2008 in Poland, specifically in the Tricity (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot) and I would like to inform you that an expedition to the shores of Norway was sent from the port of Gdynia in the presence of the current Polish MW submarine, which wants discover the wreck and accurately locate the wreck of the legendary submarine Orzel.