Lwów (ship)
Encyclopedia
Lwów was the first officially registered Polish
sailing-ship. Launched in 1869 in Birkenhead
, England
, as frigate Chinsura, from 1883 she was named Lucco; then until 1920, Nest. Since 1920 she was under the Polish
banner. Named Lwów, after the third biggest city of the Second Polish Republic
, she cruised the whole world in the 1920s, being the first ship under Polish banner to have crossed the Equator
, during a cruise to Brazil
in 1923. She was also the first Polish training ship. Her notable captains included Mamert Stankiewicz
.
She was eventually replaced as the Polish training ship by the newer Dar Pomorza
. She was briefly used as a hulk
by Polish Navy
; retired in 1938, and was scrapped soon afterwards in the Baltic Sea
port of Gdynia
. Captain and marine writer Karol Olgierd Borchardt
named Lwów "The cradle of navigators of the Polish Navy".
, by the British charterer G. R. Cloover and Co., and belonged to Thomas & Brocklenbank, a company from Liverpool
.
Her total length was 85.1 meters, with a beam of 11.4 meters and a draught of 6.9 meters. Speed was 12.5 knots, propulsion being provided by sails together with two Kromhout engines (added in early 1920s). She sailed on routes from Great Britain
to India
and Australia
, carrying goods and passengers.
In 1893 the Chinsura was bought by the Italian
company F.lli Olvarii from Camogli
, the name being changed to Lucco. Under that name, she served for only five years, as in 1898 she was caught by a huge storm near the Cape of Good Hope
, in which it lost masts and almost sank. Nevertheless, the Lucco reached Durban
, where she was refitted and soon afterwards purchased by P. Landberg & Zoon, a Dutch
charterer from Batavia
, which gave her yet another name, Nest.
In 1915, after serving for several years in southeastern Asia
, the Nest came to Holland, where she was anchored in Vlaardingen
near Rotterdam
and remained inactive.
. Kanski liked the well-preserved, 51-year old ship and arranged the purchase. After repairs, made by a private company of brothers Van der Windt from Vlaardingen, in July 1921, she came to Tczew (the seaport of Gdynia did not exist yet) and was renamed Lwów, becoming Poland's first training ship. Her first captain was Tadeusz Bonifacy Ziolkowski, an experienced sailor, who had served in the German Navy during World War I
.
On 4 September 1921, after a special ceremony, the Lwów officially became part of the freshly created Polish Navy. Her banner was funded by women living in the city of Lwów, and she was handed to Captain Ziolkowski by President of the city of Lwów, dr. Stahl. Among other captains were Mamert Stankiewicz
(1924–1926) and Konstanty Maciejewicz (1926–1930).
, Black Sea
, Atlantic Ocean
and the Mediterranean. On 13 August 1923, she was the first ship under Polish banner to cross the Equator, during a cruise to Brazil. Until 1927, she was intensely exploited, as only then the Poles purchased additional ships from France
, including the Wilno and the Wilia (the latter one transported remains of Juliusz Slowacki
to Gdynia and was escorted by the Lwów).
and then returned to Gdynia, to be replaced with Dar Pomorza
. The banner was moved during a special ceremony on 13 July 1930, together with whole crew and some parts of equipment.
The ship was transferred to the Polish Navy, which used her as a hulk for crews of submarines. Several navy enthusiasts suggested that Lwów, regarded as a legendary ship, should be preserved as a monument or a museum. However, these wishes were not fulfilled. On 25 September 1937, she was erased from Lloyds register. In early 1938 the ship was retired and scrapped in May of that year in Gdynia. According to other sources, she survived until the beginning of World War II
, and only then was scrapped by the Germans. It has been estimated that the ship altogether crossed almost 65 000 nautical mile
s.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
sailing-ship. Launched in 1869 in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, as frigate Chinsura, from 1883 she was named Lucco; then until 1920, Nest. Since 1920 she was under the Polish
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
banner. Named Lwów, after the third biggest city of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, she cruised the whole world in the 1920s, being the first ship under Polish banner to have crossed the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, during a cruise to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1923. She was also the first Polish training ship. Her notable captains included Mamert Stankiewicz
Mamert Stankiewicz
Mamert Stankiewicz was a Polish naval officer of the merchant marine, the commander of Lwów, SS Polonia and finally the ocean liner MS Piłsudski. During the opening months of World War II he sank with the latter ship and died of hypothermia...
.
She was eventually replaced as the Polish training ship by the newer Dar Pomorza
Dar Pomorza
The Dar Pomorza is a Polish sailing frigate, currently preserved in Gdynia as a museum ship.The ship was built in 1909 by Blohm & Voss and in 1910 dedicated by Deutscher Schulschiff-Verein as the German training ship Prinzess Eitel Friedrich, named for Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg, wife...
. She was briefly used as a hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
by Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
; retired in 1938, and was scrapped soon afterwards in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
port of Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
. Captain and marine writer Karol Olgierd Borchardt
Karol Olgierd Borchardt
Karol Olgierd Borchardt was a Polish writer and captain of the Polish Merchant Navy.Although he was born in Moscow, he spent the vast majority of his life and died in Gdynia. He raised two generations of Polish officers. While demanding, he was also a warm-hearted and understanding teacher.His...
named Lwów "The cradle of navigators of the Polish Navy".
Under British, Italian and Dutch banners
Little is known about the fate of the British frigate Chinsura. Made of steel, she was launched in 1869 in BirkenheadBirkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, by the British charterer G. R. Cloover and Co., and belonged to Thomas & Brocklenbank, a company from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Her total length was 85.1 meters, with a beam of 11.4 meters and a draught of 6.9 meters. Speed was 12.5 knots, propulsion being provided by sails together with two Kromhout engines (added in early 1920s). She sailed on routes from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, carrying goods and passengers.
In 1893 the Chinsura was bought by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
company F.lli Olvarii from Camogli
Camogli
Camogli is a small Italian fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso at the Riviera di Levante, in the province of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. its population was of 5582 inhabitants. The name means "house of wives"...
, the name being changed to Lucco. Under that name, she served for only five years, as in 1898 she was caught by a huge storm near the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, in which it lost masts and almost sank. Nevertheless, the Lucco reached Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, where she was refitted and soon afterwards purchased by P. Landberg & Zoon, a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
charterer from Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, which gave her yet another name, Nest.
In 1915, after serving for several years in southeastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, the Nest came to Holland, where she was anchored in Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen is a town in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas/Nieuwe Waterweg river at the confluence with the Oude Maas...
near Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and remained inactive.
Under Polish colours
Some time in mid-1920, the Nest was noticed by a Polish commission under Captain Gustaw Kanski, who was the inspector of State Marine School in TczewTczew
Tczew is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants . It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway...
. Kanski liked the well-preserved, 51-year old ship and arranged the purchase. After repairs, made by a private company of brothers Van der Windt from Vlaardingen, in July 1921, she came to Tczew (the seaport of Gdynia did not exist yet) and was renamed Lwów, becoming Poland's first training ship. Her first captain was Tadeusz Bonifacy Ziolkowski, an experienced sailor, who had served in the German Navy during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
On 4 September 1921, after a special ceremony, the Lwów officially became part of the freshly created Polish Navy. Her banner was funded by women living in the city of Lwów, and she was handed to Captain Ziolkowski by President of the city of Lwów, dr. Stahl. Among other captains were Mamert Stankiewicz
Mamert Stankiewicz
Mamert Stankiewicz was a Polish naval officer of the merchant marine, the commander of Lwów, SS Polonia and finally the ocean liner MS Piłsudski. During the opening months of World War II he sank with the latter ship and died of hypothermia...
(1924–1926) and Konstanty Maciejewicz (1926–1930).
First years
Between 1921 and 1929, Lwów did not only serve as a training ship, but also carried goods, to provide funds for her existence. Lwów served on several lines, cruising the Baltic Sea, the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and the Mediterranean. On 13 August 1923, she was the first ship under Polish banner to cross the Equator, during a cruise to Brazil. Until 1927, she was intensely exploited, as only then the Poles purchased additional ships from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, including the Wilno and the Wilia (the latter one transported remains of Juliusz Slowacki
Juliusz Slowacki
Juliusz Słowacki was a Polish Romantic poet. He is considered one of the "Three Bards" of Polish literature — a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of modern Polish drama. His works often feature elements of Slavic pagan traditions, Polish history, mysticism and orientalism....
to Gdynia and was escorted by the Lwów).
Late years
In 1929 Lwów went on her last cruise, to Hanko in FinlandFinland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and then returned to Gdynia, to be replaced with Dar Pomorza
Dar Pomorza
The Dar Pomorza is a Polish sailing frigate, currently preserved in Gdynia as a museum ship.The ship was built in 1909 by Blohm & Voss and in 1910 dedicated by Deutscher Schulschiff-Verein as the German training ship Prinzess Eitel Friedrich, named for Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg, wife...
. The banner was moved during a special ceremony on 13 July 1930, together with whole crew and some parts of equipment.
The ship was transferred to the Polish Navy, which used her as a hulk for crews of submarines. Several navy enthusiasts suggested that Lwów, regarded as a legendary ship, should be preserved as a monument or a museum. However, these wishes were not fulfilled. On 25 September 1937, she was erased from Lloyds register. In early 1938 the ship was retired and scrapped in May of that year in Gdynia. According to other sources, she survived until the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and only then was scrapped by the Germans. It has been estimated that the ship altogether crossed almost 65 000 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s.
Further reading
- Tadeusz Debicki: Z dziennika marynarza - na pokladzie Lwowa z Gdanska do Rio de Janeiro i z powrotem.
- Karol Olgierd Borchardt: Kolebka nawigatorów.
- Karol Olgierd Borchardt: Znaczy Kapitan.
- Mamert Stankiewicz: Z floty carskiej do polskiej, Warsaw 2007