CP - ORP Bałtyk

ORP "Bałtyk"


Type: floating base and school ship (originally French protected cruiser D'Entrecasteaux))
class: the only ship of its class


Stavba
Shipyard: Forges et Chantiers de la Meditarene in La Seyne, France
Launch: 1896
commissioning: 1899
commissioned in PMW : 1927
dismantled : 1942 in Gdansk


Rozměry
length: 126.0 m
width: 18.0 m
max draught: 7.5 m
displacement: 7130.0 t


Bez pohonu


Výzbroj:
6 (according to some sources only 4)x 47mm/Hotchkiss vz.85 (6xI - guns for honor salvos)
after 1.9.1939
+ 2x 75mm (2xI)
+ several heavy anti-aircraft machine guns


CrewCrew: 4 officers + 10 enlisted men



as the original protected cruiser D'Entrecasteaux


displacement: 8132 t


Pohon
propulsion: 2 steam engines of 14 500 HP
speed: 18 kn
fuel: coal
coal reserves: up to 980 t
max. range: 8000 Nm


Výzbroj
2x240 mm (2xI)
12x139 mm (12xI, of which 8xI in casemates)
12x47 mm
12x37 mm
6xtorpm.450 mm


Crew: 521-559 men



Brief history before PMW


1896 - Launched at the French shipyard Forges et Chantiers de la Meditarene in La Seyne
1899 - commissioned as a Class I cruiser under the name "D'Entrecasteaux"
1899 - 1914 - assigned to the French colonial fleet in the Far East, among other things participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion
1914 - 1918 - served in the Mediterranean and the Middle East during World War I. He distinguished himself especially during the defence of the Suez Canal against the Turks in 1916
1922 - decommissioned and loaned to Belgium (used, among other things, as a school ship), which considered buying her, but eventually decided not to
1927 - purchased by the Republic of Poland



History of ORP "Bałtyk" in the Polish Navy


When building the Polish Navy in the mid-1920s, during the preparation of the 1925-28 fleet development program, it was decided to purchase a stripped warship, which was envisaged as a floating base for the submarine detachment to be created. Initially, the old cruiser "Desaix" was to be purchased in France for this purpose, with the machinery and armament removed. Funds of 2 million zlotys were allocated for this purpose. Unfortunately, the economic problems of the young state prevented the full implementation of this plan. However, it turned out that at the same time another cruiser "D'Entrecasteaux" returned from Belgium to Cherbourg, France. In Belgium it served as a school ship, already stripped of its propulsion and armament, which allowed Poland to save money and speed up its entry into service. Therefore, it was promptly purchased on 7 March 1927 for scrap price (2,822,000 francs). The ship was taken over by the representatives of the School of Maritime Specialists (SSM - Szkoła Specjalistów Morskich, Świecie nad Wisłou) - 4 officers and 45 sailors who had already arrived in France on the steamer "Suffren". The French tried to hand over the cruiser without proper equipment, which was prevented by a friendly Belgian ensign who informed the Poles what had been removed from the ship.
The Polish flag was hoisted on the cruiser on 30 July 1927 in Cherbourg, when two weeks earlier Commodore Jerzy Łątkiewicz, by then commander of the Polish Naval Base in Cherbourg, had been appointed commander of the ship. Second Lieutenant Commander Włodimierz Steyr was chosen as his deputy. The Navy leadership decided to name the new base "Krół Władysław IV", because the barracks in Świecie, which the sailors were leaving, were named after him. Under this name (which, however, the French painted on the ship incorrectly - "Kral Wladyslaw IV") the cruiser, towed by two tugs "Mammouth" and "Pingouin" at a speed of 8 knots", sailed from Cherbourg to Gdynia on 30 July 1927. Before entering the Kiel Canal, the name was corrected, although it was already known that the navy command had decided to change the ship's name. Unofficially, this was in order not to support the monarchist movements that existed in Poland at that time. Therefore, at the beginning of August the new unit was renamed neutrally to "Bałtyk" (confirmed officially only in November). The cruiser was brought to Gdynia on August 11, 1927 and temporarily assigned to the Training Division. On August 13, Commander Second Lieutenant Commander Steyr was appointed commander, but as early as September 22, he was replaced in the post by SSM Commander Lieutenant Commander Adam Mohuczy.
Shortly after the ship arrived in Gdynia, she set sail again. This time she was towed to the Gdansk shipyard (Stocznia Gdańska, at that time Danziger Werft), from where she did not return to Gdynia until 26 June 1928. During this time, necessary repairs were carried out on the cruiser. After her return, further work was carried out by the Port Workshops of the Navy (Warsztaty Portowe Marynarki Wojennej - WPMW), but she was soon sent to Gdansk again, for the dismantling of the copper plates of the plating. In the course of repairs, among other things, the original gun turrets were dismantled, 6 (according to other sources 4) Hotchkiss vz.85 guns of 47mm calibre were mounted for salvos of honour, the interior of the ship was adapted for training and accommodation purposes, etc. The boilers were also left on the ship (although they were in bad condition and did not work - the original intention of the ship's commander Mohuzcy to allow the ship to sail under its own power did not work out, because they could not be repaired). Fumigation was also carried out, as the ship (according to the memories of memoirs) brought back an incredible number of rats from France.
Originally, two more stations of 4 L/50 M1924 anti-aircraft guns, 75mm calibre, purchased at the same time as the cruiser in France, were to be mounted on board to allow the ship to serve as a floating anti-aircraft battery, but the project was eventually abandoned.
The ORP "Bałtyk" began to operate as a floating base in the middle of the 1928/1929 school year, when the School of Naval Specialists (SSM), moved here from its original location - Świecie nad Wisła, was located there. However, the ship was still being worked on, and the modifications lasted practically until the beginning of the war. The ship was moored in the harbour with 4 anchors before entering the X pool at Oksywia. It was only possible to get ashore by means of a large boat, pulled by a rope leading from the ship's steps to the corner of the quay. The boat also acted temporarily as the officers' mess and SSM office. In August 1928, during his visit to Gdynia, the then President of the Republic of Poland Ignacy Mościcki and his wife (in the luxurious Admiral's cabin) and his entourage (in the officers' quarters) stayed on it. However, the luxury cabins had a "small" defect. They were full of insects and so the distinguished visitor moved out very quickly.
The permanent crew of the base at that time consisted (apart from the commander) of 2 officers and 10 long-serving NCOs (or enlisted). The ship trained (in 3-month courses) specialist sailors and also petty officers(general, 6-week and special, 6-month courses). Ensigns were also housed there during their courses. On board the ORP "Bałtyk", the graduation ceremony of midshipmen and naval specialists was also held. The first of them took place on 15 August 1928.
Apart from the "school" function, the cruiser also performed a representative role. It was the flagship of the fleet commander, Commodore (from 1 January 1933 Rear Admiral) Józef Unrug, and on board it hosted the commanders of squadrons and ships visiting Gdynia. The cruiser was excellently suited for this purpose, due to its size, extensive accommodation spaces and large decks.
On May 1, 1930, due to the reorganization of the fleet, ORP "Bałtyk" was included in the School Division as the headquarters of the SSM and a training ship for the deckhands. This division also included the torpedo boats ORP "Mazur", ORP "Ślązak" and ORP "Kujawiak", the tug "Lech" and the wheeled steamer "Generał Sosnkowski", and initially also the diving base ORP "Nurek". In 1932, the ship underwent several weeks of repairs (probably regular preservation) at the Gdansk shipyard.
On 1 June 1935, the fleet was reorganized again and the Centre for Training of Fleet Specialists (CWSF-Centrum Wyszkolenia Specjalistów Floty) was created from the SSM. The ORP "Bałtyk" remained in the CWSF as a training ship for deck crew, but was also used for technical group cadets. Gunners were trained on the torpedo boat ORP "Mazur", submariners on the torpedo boat ORP "Ślązak" and signalmen on the torpedo boat ORP "Podhalanin".
In the summer of 1939, anticipating the imminent outbreak of war, it was proposed that the armour plates from the cruiser be used to strengthen the coastal defence positions. For the same reason, the 47mm guns which (according to some sources) had been used in the coastal defence had been dismantled earlier. The literature also indicates that on the eve of the outbreak of war (or in the first days of September) 2 75mm guns were mounted on board.
On the 1st day of September 1939 ORP "Bałtyk" (like other Polish warships on Oksywia) survived 2 air raids. The first one passed without any damage, during the second one several bombs fell near the ship and one hit the right rear superstructure (in the area of the training headquarters) and caused a small fire. In the following days, the ship's crew repelled air raids. Between 5 and 7 September 1939, sailors from the CWSF were assigned to Commander Z. Horyd's battalion. The Polish author J.Pertek writes that the cruiser, which presented a spectacular and highly visible target, was sniped by, among others, the battleship Schlewig-Holstein. It was also for this reason, so as not to endanger the men unnecessarily, that the rest of the Polish crew abandoned the ship and reinforced the defences of the Kępa Oksywijska. The deck guns were dismantled, but the cruiser was still sniped by the Germans from the shore and from the air on 16 and 17 September. The Germans then used it as an accommodation ship without changing its name.
Its further fate is not entirely clear, the most common information is that in 1942 it was towed to Gdańsk and scrapped. However, Piotr Bukowski, one of the few fishermen of Polish nationality who were allowed to stay in Gdynia by the Germans, recalls that the cruiser was laid up in 1940 at the present-day Slovak waterfront and was gradually dismantled there until the summer of 1941. Particularly valuable were the non-ferrous metals, of which there was a large amount on the ship. During the war, a fisherman also fished in the port of Gdynia and, according to his own words, he often passed by the dismantled cruiser. It is therefore likely that the Germans only towed some remnants of the ship to Gdańsk in 1942.
From the ORP "Bałtyk" only its anchors (Admirality type) have survived to this day. One in front of the Gdynia House of the Navy, the second in front of the Naval Academy in Gdynia in Aleja Wyzwolenia and the third in Warsaw in front of the building of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Economy.
However, the name "Bałtyk" was also encountered in later years. During World War II, it was the name of the Polish Navy camp at Bickleigh in Devonshire, which was arranged according to the British model as a warship with a way of life according to the principles of the Naval Service Regulations. It was established in 1941 after the Navy abandoned the floating base 'Gdynia' (former transatlantic steamer Kościuszko). After the war the camp was moved to Okehamptom, also in Devonshire.
In 1954, a hydrographic and later survey ship of the Polish Navy was named by the same name, and a tanker currently serves the Navy under that name.



Commanders ORP "Bałtyk"


from 16.07.1927 - Commander Jerzy Łątkiewicz (for the time of transfer from France to Poland)
from 13.08.1927 - Lieutenant Commander Włodimierz Steyr
from 22.09.1927 - Lieutenant Commander Adam Mohuczy (at the same time Commander of the SSM)
from 04.05.1929 - naval captain Arkadiusz Kisiel-Zahorański
from 01.08.1930 - captain Witold Nabrocki (simultaneously commander of the SSM)
from .06.1932 - Captain Stefan Gebethner (at the same time Commander of the SSM)
from .01.1933 - Lieutenant Commander Jerzy Kłossowski
from 01.06.1935 - Captain Jerzy Umecki
from 26.06.1935 - captain Aleksander Hulewicz (at the same time commander of the CWSF)
from .04.1936 - Navy Captain Józef Danyluk
from .10.1937 - Navy Captain Wiktor Łomidze
from 1939 - Captain of the Navy Antoni Kremer



sources:
magazine MORZA STATKI I OKRĘTY: no.1,leden-březen 1997. Warszawa: Magnum-X Sp.z.o.o., published quarterly. ISSN 1426-529X
HYNEK Vladimír, KLUČINA Petr: Warships [2]. 1st edition. 1: 280s text + 56s annexes.28-058-86
www.pl.wikipedia.org

několik dalších fotografií ORP "Bałtyk"


zdroj:
časopis MORZA STATKI I OKRĘTY: č.1,leden-březen 1997. Warszawa: Magnum-X Sp.z.o.o., vychází čtvrtletně. ISSN 1426-529X