ORP Gryf
Encyclopedia
ORP Gryf (English
: "Griffin
") was a large Polish Navy
minelayer
, sunk during the 1939 German invasion of Poland. She was one of two large Polish ships that were not evacuated to Great Britain
during Operation Peking prior to the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War
(Wicher was the other). She was sunk in Hel
harbour on 3 September 1939 during the opening stage of World War II
.
shipyard
Chantiers et Ateliers A. Normand in Le Havre
, she was launched in 1936. Built after a genuine French project to Polish specifications, she was intended as a large minelayer
with an armament close to that of a destroyer
. Powered by two Sulzer
8SD48 engines of 6000 hp each, she was capable of 20 knots (37 km/h/23 mph), fast for its size. It also had quite a long range of roughly 9500 nautical miles (17,594 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h). As the Polish Navy was small and no other state expressed a need for such a vessel, she remained the only ship of that class. Prior to the outbreak of World War II
she also served as a school ship
and could take on board up to 60 additional students and NCOs
.
for the Operation Rurka, a failed attempt to lay a minefield at the entrances to the Gdańsk Bay
. After taking aboard naval mine
s from a floating depot, the flotilla headed for Hel Peninsula
, assisted by ORP Wicher and two gunboats. En route she was attacked by a squadron of 33 German Ju-87B dive bomber
s and damaged with several close misses. Although the damages were minor, the ship lost 22 sailors, including its captain Lt Cmdr Stefan Kwiatkowski in what became known as the Battle of the Gdańsk Bay
. His deputy, Capt. Wiktor Łomidze decided to throw all defused naval mines in the waters for fear of explosion and headed for Hel naval base
. There it was decided to use the ship as a floating anti-air artillery battery guarding the harbour.
In the morning of 3 September 1939, ORP Gryf and ORP Wicher, moored in the harbour, were attacked by two German destroyers, Z1 Leberecht Maass (with Rear Admiral Günther Lütjens
) and Z9 Wolfgang Zenker. Polish warships and a shore battery repulsed the attack, with Gryf scoring at least one hit on Leberecht Maas (4 killed). Gryf herself was slightly damaged with one shot. Later the same day, after three attacks of German bombers, Gryf was heavily damaged, and partially sank in the harbour. By 5 September the fire was extinguished and two stern
120 mm artillery mountings (single and twin one) were dismounted and placed ashore as a shore battery No. 34, part of the defensive system of the Hel Peninsula. They reached readiness only on 30 September, just before a capitulation.
In November 1939, after the end of the invasion hostilities, the Germans raised the wreck and hauled it to a beach near Jastarnia
, where it was used as an artillery practice target. After World War II the wreck was used as a target by the Polish Air Force
. In 1957 it was decided that the wreck be raised. By 1960 the work was completed and most of the salvaged parts were scrapped.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "Griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
") was a large 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...
minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
, sunk during the 1939 German invasion of Poland. She was one of two large Polish ships that were not evacuated to 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...
during Operation Peking prior to the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
(Wicher was the other). She was sunk in Hel
Hel, Poland
Hel is a town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, located on the tip of the Hel Peninsula, some 33 kilometres from the Polish mainland.-Early developments:...
harbour on 3 September 1939 during the opening stage 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...
.
History
Built from 1934 at FrenchFrance
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...
shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
Chantiers et Ateliers A. Normand in Le Havre
Le 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...
, she was launched in 1936. Built after a genuine French project to Polish specifications, she was intended as a large minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
with an armament close to that of a destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
. Powered by two Sulzer
Sulzer (manufacturer)
Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
8SD48 engines of 6000 hp each, she was capable of 20 knots (37 km/h/23 mph), fast for its size. It also had quite a long range of roughly 9500 nautical miles (17,594 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h). As the Polish Navy was small and no other state expressed a need for such a vessel, she remained the only ship of that class. Prior to 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...
she also served as a school ship
School ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is especially used for ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms....
and could take on board up to 60 additional students and NCOs
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
.
Combat
On 1 September 1939, with six minesweepers, Gryf left the naval base at GdyniaGdynia
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...
for the Operation Rurka, a failed attempt to lay a minefield at the entrances to the Gdańsk Bay
Gdansk Bay
Gdańsk Bay or the Bay of Gdańsk or Danzig Bay is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland and is sometimes referred to as a gulf.-Geography:...
. After taking aboard naval mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
s from a floating depot, the flotilla headed for Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula |Nehrung]]) is a 35-km-long sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.- Geography :...
, assisted by ORP Wicher and two gunboats. En route she was attacked by a squadron of 33 German Ju-87B dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
s and damaged with several close misses. Although the damages were minor, the ship lost 22 sailors, including its captain Lt Cmdr Stefan Kwiatkowski in what became known as the Battle of the Gdańsk Bay
Battle of the Gdansk Bay
The Battle of the Danzig Bay took place on September 1, 1939, at the beginning of the invasion of Poland, when Polish Navy vessels were attacked by German Luftwaffe aircraft in Gdańsk Bay...
. His deputy, Capt. Wiktor Łomidze decided to throw all defused naval mines in the waters for fear of explosion and headed for Hel naval base
Hel, Poland
Hel is a town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, located on the tip of the Hel Peninsula, some 33 kilometres from the Polish mainland.-Early developments:...
. There it was decided to use the ship as a floating anti-air artillery battery guarding the harbour.
In the morning of 3 September 1939, ORP Gryf and ORP Wicher, moored in the harbour, were attacked by two German destroyers, Z1 Leberecht Maass (with Rear Admiral Günther Lütjens
Günther Lütjens
Günther Lütjens was a German Admiral whose military service spanned almost 30 years. Lütjens is best known for his actions during World War II, primarily his service as admiral of the squadron comprising and her consort, , during the Operation Rheinübung sortie.-Early career:Günther Lütjens was...
) and Z9 Wolfgang Zenker. Polish warships and a shore battery repulsed the attack, with Gryf scoring at least one hit on Leberecht Maas (4 killed). Gryf herself was slightly damaged with one shot. Later the same day, after three attacks of German bombers, Gryf was heavily damaged, and partially sank in the harbour. By 5 September the fire was extinguished and two stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
120 mm artillery mountings (single and twin one) were dismounted and placed ashore as a shore battery No. 34, part of the defensive system of the Hel Peninsula. They reached readiness only on 30 September, just before a capitulation.
In November 1939, after the end of the invasion hostilities, the Germans raised the wreck and hauled it to a beach near Jastarnia
Jastarnia
Jastarnia is a small town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. Popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port....
, where it was used as an artillery practice target. After World War II the wreck was used as a target by the Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
. In 1957 it was decided that the wreck be raised. By 1960 the work was completed and most of the salvaged parts were scrapped.