Submarines: ORP Orzeł

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Brian James
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2018 6:58 am

Submarines: ORP Orzeł

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Lead Ship, Polish Submarine ORP Orzeł pictured on February 10th 1939....She was laid down August 14th 1936 at the Dutch Shipyard De Schelde, as Job No. 205; launched on January 15th 1938, and commissioned on February 2nd 1939. She was a modern design (designed by the joint venture of Polish and Dutch engineers), albeit quite large for the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea...On May 23rd 1940, Orzeł departed on its seventh patrol in the central North Sea. On 1st and 2nd June, radio messages were transmitted from the Rosyth Naval base ordering the boat to alter its patrol area and proceed to the Skagerrak (the Strait separating Norway and Sweden from the Danish Jutland Peninsula). No radio signals had been received from her since she had sailed, and on June 5th Orzeł was ordered to return to base. No reception was acknowledged. On June 8th 1940 the Submarine was officially declared lost. The true cause is unknown, although it is commonly believed the Orzeł most likely struck a British or German sea mine in or near the Skagerrak. Another theory suggests the boat may have been sunk mistakenly by a British aircraft..On May 23rd, 2020, 80 years after leaving on her final patrol, the Shipwreck Expeditions Association announced a partnership to search for the wreck in conjunction with the Maritime University of Szczecin with the assistance from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. The search is currently entering the logistics and preparations phase for the first expedition.
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