Polish Navy
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Flag of the Polish Navy |
The
Polish Navy (
Marynarka Wojenna RP, MW RP) is the branch of
Poland's
armed forces responsible for naval operations. It has 149 ships (including 5
submarines, 1
destroyer (museum), 2
frigates, 3
corvettes, 5
missile boats) and about 14,300 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional
ship prefix in the Polish Navy is
ORP ( "Okręt Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej" - "Ship of the Polish Republic").
The Polish Navy is one of the largest navies on the
Baltic Sea. It is mostly responsible for
Baltic Sea operations, including amphibious exercises with Polish
Marines. Other duties include search and rescue operations covering the majority of the Baltic, as well as hydrographic measurements and research.
Recently the Polish Navy played a more international role as part of the
2003 invasion of Iraq, specifically providing logistical and communications support for the
United States Navy.
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Polish Galleon "Smok" 1571 |
The Polish Navy has its roots in naval vessels that were largely used on Poland's main rivers in defense of trade and commerce. During the
Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466), this small force of inland ships for the first time saw real open sea combat. At the
Battle of the Vistula Estuary, a Polish
privateer fleet defeated the
Prussian Navy and secured permanent access to the Baltic Sea. The
Peace of Toruń in 1466 acquired for Poland the strategic naval city of
Gdańsk, and with it the means of maintaining a large fleet on the Baltic. In 1561, following a victory over Russian Naval forces in the Baltic, the Polish Navy acquired a second key port at
Riga, in modern-day
Latvia.
The most celebrated victory of the
Commonwealth Navy was the
battle of Oliwa in
1627 against
Sweden, during the
Polish-Swedish War. The victory over Sweden secured for Poland permanent access to the Atlantic, and laid the foundations for expeditions beyond Europe. Around this time the need for a permanent naval force was recognized by King Zygmunt August, and the Commission of Royal Ships (
Komisja Okrętów Królewskich) was created in 1625. This commission, along with the ultimate allocation of funds by the
Sejm in 1637, created a permanent Commonwealth Navy. However, the support for this navy was weak and it largely withered away by the 1650s.
The Duchy of
Courland, by the time a
fief of
Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth had a strong navy: it established colonies on
Tobago island in the
West Indies (named
New Courland) and on the
estuary of
Gambia River.
The
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, although the dominant force in Central and Eastern Europe during the 16th-18th Centuries, never developed its navy to full potential. The small Polish coastline and the limited access to the Atlantic never allowed for a massive buildup of naval forces, especially not to the level of colonial powers such as
England and
France. The
Partitions of Poland at the end of the
18th century brought an end to the independent Polish Navy.
Following
World War I, the
Second Polish Republic on
28 November,
1918, by the order of
Józef Piłsudski, commander of the Armed Forces of Poland, founded the modern Polish Navy. The token naval force was placed under the command of Captain
Bogumił Nowotny as its first chief.
In the 1920s and 1930s the Polish Navy underwent a modernisation program under the leadership of
Vice-Admiral Jerzy Świrski (Chief of Naval Staff) and
Rear-Admiral Józef Unrug (CO of the
Fleet). A number of ships were acquired from
France, the
Netherlands, and the
United Kingdom. The overall public uneasiness with the idea of armament, along with the budgetary limitations placed on the government by the
Great Depression never allowed the navy to expand beyond a small Baltic force. By September
1939 the Polish Navy consisted of 5
submarines, 4
destroyers, and various support vessels and mine-warfare ships. This force was no match for the large
Kriegsmarine, and so a strategy of harassment and indirect engagement was implemented.
World War II
The outbreak of
World War II caught the Polish Navy off guard and in a state of expansion. Lacking numerical superiority, Polish Naval commanders decided to withdraw the main fleet to
Great Britain to join the Allied war effort (
Operation Peking). On August 30th, 1939, 3 destroyers (ORP
Blyskawica,
Grom, and
Burza) sailed to the British naval base at
Leith in Scotland. They then operated in combination with
Royal Navy vessels against Germany. The submarine
Orzel, after a forty day cruise, including an escape from internment in
Tallinn,
Estonia, rendezvoused with the British destroyer HMS
Valorous on October 14th near the
Firth of Forth and entered the Royal Naval base at
Rosyth.
During the war the Polish Navy was supplemented with leased British ships, including 2
cruisers, 2 submarines, and a number of smaller fast-attack vessels. The Polish Navy fought alongside the
Allied navies, and aided in the escort of convoys across the Atlantic from Canada and the United States to the
United Kingdom. Polish naval vessels played a part in the sinking of the
Bismarck, and in the landings in Normandy during
D-Day.
World War II operations
The following selection illustrates the breadth of Polish Naval activity.
*
Pekin:evacuation from
Poland (September, 1939)
*
Dynamo: evacuation of Allied troops from
Dunkirk conducted (May/ June, 1940)
*
Halberd:
Malta convoy (1941)
*
Anklet: British Commando raid on the
Lofoten Islands, Norway (November, 1941)
*
Harpoon:
Malta convoy (mid-June 1942)
*
Jubilee: attack on the German-occupied port of
Dieppe, France (August 19, 1942)
*
Torch: Anglo-American invasion of
French North Africa (November, 1942)
*
Husky: Allied invasion of
Sicily (July 1943)
*
Baytown: landings in
Calabria, Italy (September 1943)
*
Avalanche: landings near
Salerno, Italy (September 1943)
*
Alacrity: Allied naval patrols around
Azores (1943)
*
Shingle: Allied landing in the
Anzio area, Italy (January, 1944)
*
Tungsten:
Fleet Air Arm attack on
Tirpitz (April 1944)
*
Croquet: Allied anti-shipping patrol off Norway (1944)
*
Potluck: Allied anti-shipping patrol off Norway (1944)
*
Neptune: the landing phase of
Operation Overlord (June 1944)
*
Dragoon: Allied invasion of southern France(August 1944)
*
Deadlight: scuttling of surrendered
U-boats after World War II (late 1945/ early 1946)
Post-war
After World War II, on July 7, 1945, the new Soviet-imposed Communist government revived the Polish Navy with headquarters in
Gdynia. During Communist times, Poland's Navy experienced a great buildup, including the development of a separate amphibious force of Polish Marines. The Navy also acquired a number of
Soviet-made ships, including a
Kilo class submarine which was modified and upgraded and assigned the
Orzeł Class designation. The primary role of the Warsaw Pact Polish Navy was to be Baltic Sea control, as well as amphibious operations along the entire Baltic coastline against
NATO forces in
Denmark and Germany. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and the fall of Communism ended this stance.
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Oliver Hazard Perry class Polish frigate ORP Pułaski |
Poland's entrance into the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has greatly changed the structure and role of the Polish Navy. Whereas before, most of Naval High Command was concerned with coastal defense and Baltic Sea Operations, the current mindset is for integration with international naval operations. The focus is on expansion of subsurface naval capabilities, and in the creation of a large submarine force. To facilitate these changes the Republic of Poland has undertaken a number of modernization programs aimed at creating a force capable of
power projection around the world. This includes a number of foreign acquisitions, including the acquisition of
Kobben Class submarines from
Norway, and
Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates from the United States. The
Naval air arm has also acquired a number of
SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters, and the Polish Marines have undergone an intensification in training to match that of the
United States Marines.
The Polish Navy has taken part in numerous joint force operations. In 1999 the naval base at Gdynia became the home base of all NATO submarine forces in the Baltic, codenamed COOPERATIVE POSEIDON. That same year joint US-Polish submarine training manoeuvres codenamed BALTIC PORPOISE for the first time utilized the port in a multinational military nature.
The Polish Navy is organized into 3 separate fleets, and a Naval Air Arm. In addition to this the Polish Navy supplies nearly 40 ships as part of the NATO Rapid Reaction Force, designed to be a force projection and conflict response force around the world.
*3rd Baltic Battle Fleet (based at Gdynia)
*8th Coastal/Marine Fleet (based Swinoujscie)
*9th Coastal Defense Fleet (based at Hel)
*Naval Air Arm (based at Gdynia)
The main mission of the Polish Navy is the defense of Polish territorial waters, the Polish coastline, and Polish interests abroad. Secondary roles include the support of NATO allied operations, such as in the
Middle East, and
search and rescue operations throughout the Baltic Sea.
The flag of the Polish Navy is a red flag with the emblem of the Polish Armed Forces - Navy on the foreground. The Naval Emblem has an anchor to distinguish it from other Armed Forces branches. It is traditionally flown on naval bases on land, and at the headquarters of naval command in Gdynia.
The naval jack of the Polish navy is based on a traditional 17th Century fighting jack design of a sword ready to strike at the enemy. It was first used during the battle of Oliwa in 1627 against Sweden, during the Polish-Swedish War. It is traditionally flown from the bow of the ship, and the ensign at the rear when docked.
*
Roman Krzyżelewski, current commander-in-chief of the Polish Navy
*
List of ships of the Polish Navy*
Polish Navy contribution to World War II*
Polish Merchant Navy*
List of Polish admirals*
Official Polish Navy homepage*
A history of the navy to 1945*
Polish Navy Homepage 1939-1947
