Orzel class submarine
Encyclopedia
The Orzeł class was a short series of modern submarines built in Dutch shipyards for the Polish Navy
in the 1930s. Initially the design was to be built in the United Kingdom, but the price proposed was too high and the British Admiralty announced that building a fast submarine with over 20 knots (39 km/h) of surface speed was technically impossible. The two submarines were ordered in De Schelde and Rotterdamse Shipyards, the and (four were initially planned). Design was made in cooperation with a team from Polish Navy, and incorporated many features of earlier Dutch including the external trainable mount. The hull were entirely welded, and all controls were hydraulically operated.Design was made to fulfill the Polish requirements for a multi-purpose vessel, to be used both on shallow waters of the Baltic Sea
and in the high seas. They were among the most modern submersibles in the allied fleets at the outbreak of World War II
. Their speed was 19.5 knots (38 km/h).
Orzel was ordered in 1935 and commissioned in February 1939. On 14 September 1939 the Orzel and Wilk were ordered to make for British ports. Wilk arrived on 20 September 1939 and Orzel arrived on 14 October 1939 (after an adventurous voyage with no charts). On 8 April 1940 Orzel sank two large troop transports at the start of the German invasion of Norway. Orzel was lost in a mine barrage off the Norwegian coast on 8 June 1940.
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
in the 1930s. Initially the design was to be built in the United Kingdom, but the price proposed was too high and the British Admiralty announced that building a fast submarine with over 20 knots (39 km/h) of surface speed was technically impossible. The two submarines were ordered in De Schelde and Rotterdamse Shipyards, the and (four were initially planned). Design was made in cooperation with a team from Polish Navy, and incorporated many features of earlier Dutch including the external trainable mount. The hull were entirely welded, and all controls were hydraulically operated.Design was made to fulfill the Polish requirements for a multi-purpose vessel, to be used both on shallow waters of 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...
and in the high seas. They were among the most modern submersibles in the allied fleets at the outbreak 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...
. Their speed was 19.5 knots (38 km/h).
Orzel was ordered in 1935 and commissioned in February 1939. On 14 September 1939 the Orzel and Wilk were ordered to make for British ports. Wilk arrived on 20 September 1939 and Orzel arrived on 14 October 1939 (after an adventurous voyage with no charts). On 8 April 1940 Orzel sank two large troop transports at the start of the German invasion of Norway. Orzel was lost in a mine barrage off the Norwegian coast on 8 June 1940.