ORP Wilia
Encyclopedia
ORP Wilia (some sources use the spelling ORP Wilja) was a school ship of the Polish Navy
of the Second Polish Republic.
, Germany. After changing several owners and names the ship sailed under the French flag as the Laurent Schaffiano.
and the ship was renamed ORP Wilia, after the river Wilia
. Initially the Polish Navy used her to transport arms and equipment, bought in France, to Poland. Later she served as a training ships for cadets. At the start of the Second World War the ship was in the port of Casablanca
. On 30 July 1940 she was transferred to the Polish Merchant Navy
which renamed her Modlin.
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
of the Second Polish Republic.
Construction
The ship was built in 1906 as a freighter in the shipyard Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft in FlensburgFlensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, Germany. After changing several owners and names the ship sailed under the French flag as the Laurent Schaffiano.
Polish Navy
In 1925 the ship was bought by the Polish Navy. The Polish flag was raised on the ship on 8 August 1925 in the French port of Le HavreLe Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
and the ship was renamed ORP Wilia, after the river Wilia
Neris
Neris is a river rising in Belarus, flowing through Vilnius and becoming a tributary of the Neman River at Kaunas...
. Initially the Polish Navy used her to transport arms and equipment, bought in France, to Poland. Later she served as a training ships for cadets. At the start of the Second World War the ship was in the port of Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
. On 30 July 1940 she was transferred to the Polish Merchant Navy
Polish Merchant Navy
The Polish Merchant Navy was created in the interwar period when the Second Polish Republic regained independence.During World War II, many ships of the Polish Navy joined the Allied merchant navy and its convoys, as part of the Polish contribution to World War II.After the war, the Polish...
which renamed her Modlin.