ORP Jastrzab
Encyclopedia
ORP
Jastrząb ("Hawk") was an old Holland-type S-class
submarine
, originally of the United States Navy
, in Polish service between 1941 and 1942, when she was lost to friendly fire
.
She was laid down in October 1918 as USS S-25
, and launched in 1922. In 1940 she was set aside as a training vessel, and then earmarked for transfer to the Royal Navy
under Lend-Lease
.
She was decommissioned from the US Navy on 4 November 1941, and simultaneously transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS P551; shortly thereafter she was loaned to the exiled Polish government, and entered service with the Polish Navy
under Lieutenant Commander Bolesław Romanowski, due to a lack of trained submarine crews in the Royal Navy at the time.
During the passage of convoy PQ-15
to Murmansk
, Jastrząb on 2 May 1942 was mistakenly engaged by the destroyer HNoMS St. Albans
and the minesweeper HMS Seagull
. She was attacked with depth charges and made to surface, there she was strafed with the loss of five crew (including British liaison officer
) and six injured, including the commander. The ship was badly damaged and had to be scuttled, near 71°30′N 12°32′E.
The incident is a matter of some controversy.
One source states Jastrząb was escorting PQ 15, ie travelling with the convoy. Others however state she was covering PQ 15’s passage by patrolling the Norwegian coast against a sortie by German capital ships, one of five submarines so assigned. These sources state Jastrząb was out of position; Pertek however states that it was the convoy which was out of position, and other sources confirm the convoy had altered course to avoid ice. The position of the incident, 200 miles from the Norwegian coast is inconsistent with a mission to patrol that coast, typically no more than 10 to 20 miles out.
Pertek also (after Romanowski's testimony) states Jastrząb was fired upon despite showing yellow recognition smoke candles; however other sources do not confirm this.
Finally Pertek states the commanders of St Albans and Seagull were found guilty at a court martial over the incident; Kemp states that the court of enquiry (a normal procedure following the loss of a ship, though not of friendly fire cases) found no blame could be attributed to either commander. It is not possible to reconcile these accounts.
On May 5, 1942, the convoy reached Murmansk, where the Polish crew remained resting for two and a half months, then returned to Great Britain on board the Polish destroyer ORP Garland
.
ORP
ORP may refer to:* Oxidation reduction potential, the tendency of a chemical species to acquire electrons and thereby be reduced* Open Relevance Project, data and tools to compare the search relevancy performance of search engines...
Jastrząb ("Hawk") was an old Holland-type S-class
United States S class submarine
The United States' S-class submarines, often simply called S-boats , were the first class of submarines built to a United States Navy design....
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, originally of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, in Polish service between 1941 and 1942, when she was lost to friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
.
She was laid down in October 1918 as USS S-25
USS S-25 (SS-130)
USS S-25 was a first-group S-class submarine of the United States Navy.S-25 was laid down on 26 October 1918 by the Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 29 May 1922 sponsored by Mrs. Ross P. Schlabach, and commissioned on 9 July 1923 with Lieutenant...
, and launched in 1922. In 1940 she was set aside as a training vessel, and then earmarked for transfer to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
under Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
.
She was decommissioned from the US Navy on 4 November 1941, and simultaneously transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS P551; shortly thereafter she was loaned to the exiled Polish government, and entered service with the 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...
under Lieutenant Commander Bolesław Romanowski, due to a lack of trained submarine crews in the Royal Navy at the time.
During the passage of convoy PQ-15
Convoy PQ 15
Convoy PQ 15 was an Arctic convoy sent from Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in late April 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports after air attacks that sank three ships...
to Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
, Jastrząb on 2 May 1942 was mistakenly engaged by the destroyer HNoMS St. Albans
USS Thomas (DD-182)
The first USS Thomas was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS St Albans , as a Town class destroyer, but spent most of the war in the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy, before transferred to the Soviet Navy as...
and the minesweeper HMS Seagull
HMS Seagull (J85)
HMS Seagull was a , and the first Royal Navy ship to be built entirely without rivets. She was completed on 30th March 1938.During the Second World War she helped escort 21 Arctic convoys, and participated in Operation Neptune...
. She was attacked with depth charges and made to surface, there she was strafed with the loss of five crew (including British liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
) and six injured, including the commander. The ship was badly damaged and had to be scuttled, near 71°30′N 12°32′E.
The incident is a matter of some controversy.
One source states Jastrząb was escorting PQ 15, ie travelling with the convoy. Others however state she was covering PQ 15’s passage by patrolling the Norwegian coast against a sortie by German capital ships, one of five submarines so assigned. These sources state Jastrząb was out of position; Pertek however states that it was the convoy which was out of position, and other sources confirm the convoy had altered course to avoid ice. The position of the incident, 200 miles from the Norwegian coast is inconsistent with a mission to patrol that coast, typically no more than 10 to 20 miles out.
Pertek also (after Romanowski's testimony) states Jastrząb was fired upon despite showing yellow recognition smoke candles; however other sources do not confirm this.
Finally Pertek states the commanders of St Albans and Seagull were found guilty at a court martial over the incident; Kemp states that the court of enquiry (a normal procedure following the loss of a ship, though not of friendly fire cases) found no blame could be attributed to either commander. It is not possible to reconcile these accounts.
On May 5, 1942, the convoy reached Murmansk, where the Polish crew remained resting for two and a half months, then returned to Great Britain on board the Polish destroyer ORP Garland
ORP Garland
HMS Garland, also known by her Polish designation ORP Garland, was a G-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 the ship spent considerable time in Spanish waters, enforcing the arms blockade imposed by Britain and France on both sides of...
.
See also
- List of World War II ships
- ORP OrzełORP OrzełThree boats of the Polish Navy have been named ORP Orzeł :* ORP Orzeł was an commissioned in 1939 and lost in 1940.* ORP Orzeł was a commissioned in 1962 and decommissioned in 1983....
, another Polish submarine lost during World War II.