Monday, February 19, 2024

O for ORP Orzeł

 


I mean the Polish submarine "Orzeł" ("Eagle") that was built in 1936/commissioned in 1939 and proudly served in the Polish Navy during WWII. My Grandma's cousin was one of the crew members on the vessel. Unfortunately, my Mom cannot recall his name.

 

In June 1940, the submarine did not return to its base. The circumstances of its disappearance are not clear. Probably, it was hit by a sea mine, or struck by an aircraft. Anyhow, "Orzeł" was lost at sea, and all its crew perished.

After WWII, several expeditions were organized to find the submarine or its remains. 
 
 
I think it will be found. I had a dream in which I attended an event celebrating the find. A local women's choir sang there. The women were wearing long dresses with long aprons on them. I could hear a man's voice announcing that the pieces of the submarine were found 300/400 meters under the sea surface level, near the defensive ramparts of Finland. The vessel was buried in a hole in the sea bottom, covered by sand. The announcement was not in Polish, though. I am not sure why.
 
 
 
The submarine you can see in the photos was built in Riga in 1986. It is the third "Orzeł" submarine that has served in the Polish Navy. 
 
 
The photographs were taken during the send-off event celebrating another ORP "Orzeł" search expedition (Balexmetal 2008).
 
Inside the expedition ship

 

Research equipment
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"My Polish Alphabet" is a posts series related to things, places, and people that come to my mind when I think about Poland.

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