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ORP Gryf (1936)
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. History Built from 1934 at French 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 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 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ORP Gryf
Three warships of the Polish Navy have borne the name ORP ''Gryf'', named after the Polish word for griffon: * , a large minelayer launched in 1936 and notable for her role during the Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ... in 1939. She was sunk in Hel harbour by German planes on 3 September 1939. * , a school and hospital ship of the Polish Navy, launched in 1944 as the German ship ''Irene Oldendorff'' and acquired in 1950 by the Polish Navy. Rebuilt as a school and hospital ship, she was initially named ORP ''Zetempowiec'', being renamed ''Gryf'' in 1957. She was decommissioned in 1976 but continued in use as a heating barge and accommodation ship. * , a school and hospital ship of the Polish Navy. She was launched in 1976 as a replacement for the ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. 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 construction. The terms are routinely used interchangeably, in part because the evolution of dockyards and shipyards has often caused them to change or merge roles. Countries with large shipbuilding industries include Australia, Brazil, China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. The shipbuilding industry is more fragmented in Europe than in Asia where countries tend to have fewer, larger companies. Many naval vessels ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wiktor Łomidze
Viktor Lomidze, also known by his Polish name of Wiktor Łomidze-Wachtang, was a Georgian-Polish military officer. After the Bolshevik take-over of his country in early 1920s he emigrated to Poland, where he joined the Polish Army and then the Polish Navy. Between 1935 and 1939 he was the commanding officer (in the rank of Captain) of ORP ''Jaskółka'', a Polish minesweeper and minelayer. Later on he became the deputy commander of the ORP ''Gryf''. At the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War of 1939, on September 1, with other Polish warships, ''Gryf'' left the naval base at Gdynia for the Operation Rurka, a failed attempt to lay a minefield at the entrances to the Gdańsk Bay. After boarding naval mines from a floating depot, the flotilla headed for Hel Peninsula, assisted by ORP ''Wicher'' and several smaller vessels (among them Łomidze's former ship ''Jaskółka''). En route she was attacked by a squadron of 33 German Ju 87B dive bombers and hit with several bombs. Al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of The Gdańsk Bay
__NOTOC__ The Battle of Danzig Bay ( pl, bitwa w Zatoce Gdańskiej) took place on 1 September 1939, at the beginning of the invasion of Poland, when Polish Navy warships were attacked by German Luftwaffe aircraft in Gdańsk Bay (then Danzig Bay). It was the first naval-air battle of World War II. Background The Polish Navy of the Second Polish Republic (1919–39) was prepared mostly as means of supporting naval communications with France in case of a war with the Soviet Union. After it became apparent that the aggressor would be Germany, and the entrance to the Baltic Sea would be blocked, three out of the four Polish modern destroyers were withdrawn from the Baltic Sea to Great Britain in what was called Operation Peking. The remaining forces, consisting of one large minelayer, one destroyer, five submarines and smaller vessels were to execute two major naval operations, both aimed at disrupting the German naval movement in the area of the Danzig Bay and transit movement b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stefan Kwiatkowski
Stefan Kwiatkowski was a Polish commander of the Polish–Soviet War and a recipient of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari. He was known for being killed on the first day of World War II during the Battle of Danzig Bay while commanding the . Biography He was born on 8 November 1894 in Korelicze, Grodno , in the family of Wacław. In 1915 he graduated from the Kiev River School, then he attended the Junkier School, which he did not graduate. In 1918, he was part of the Polish I Corps in Russia, commanded by General Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki and was a standard-bearer of the First . In 1919 he joined the emerging Polish Navy as a second lieutenant. He took part in the Polish–Soviet War, initially as a liaison officer of the Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy from 24 March 1920 as the commander of the captured transport ship ORP ''Ataman'', on which he participated in the clash near Łomczewo. Later he commanded the tug ''Champion'', which he sank during the retreat on 21 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughout the bomb run. This allows attacks on point targets and ships, which were difficult to attack with conventional level bombers, even ''en masse''. After World War II, the rise of precision-guided munitions and improved anti-aircraft defences—both fixed gunnery positions and fighter interception—led to a fundamental change in dive bombing. New weapons, such as rockets, allowed for better accuracy from smaller dive angles and from greater distances. They could be fitted to almost any aircraft, including fighters, improving their effectiveness without the inherent vulnerabilities of dive bombers, which needed air superiority to operate effectively. Method A dive bomber dives at a steep angle, normally between 45 and 60 degrees or ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ju 87B
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 and served the Axis in World War II from beginning to end (1939–1945). The aircraft is easily recognisable by its inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage. Upon the leading edges of its faired main gear legs were mounted ram-air sirens known as ', which became a propaganda symbol of German air power and of the so-called ''Blitzkrieg'' victories of 1939–1942, as well as providing Stuka pilots with audible feedback as to speed. The Stuka's design included several innovations, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high g-forces. The Ju 87 operated with cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hel Peninsula
Hel Peninsula (; pl, Mierzeja Helska, Półwysep Helski; csb, Hélskô Sztremlëzna; german: Halbinsel Hela or ''Putziger Nehrung'') is a 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. Name The name of the peninsula might come from either the Old Polish word ''hyl''/''hel'', meaning "empty or exposed place," or the Germanic word ''heel'', which is derived from the form of the peninsula and the fact that the area was first settled by the Goths, an East Germanic tribe. Geography The width of the peninsula varies from approximately near Jurata to in the most narrow part to over at the tip. Since the peninsula was formed entirely of sand, it is frequently turned into an island by winter storms. Until the 17th century, the peninsula was a chain of islands that formed a strip of land only in the summer. A road and a railroad run along the peninsula from the mainland ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hippocrene Books
Hippocrene Books is an independent US publishing press located at 171 Madison Avenue, New York City, NY 10016. Hippocrene specializes in foreign language study guides, international cookbooks, and Polish-interest publishing. The foreign language catalog includes the Concise, Practical, and Standard Dictionary series, the travel-oriented Dictionary & Phrasebook series, and the Hippocrene Beginner's textbook series. In the past, Hippocrene has published books on folklore, translations of classic literature, children's dictionaries, and travel guides. The publishing side grew out of Optimum Book Marketing, established in 1970 by Polish immigrant George Blagowidow. The press takes its name from the mythical Hippocrene fountain associated with the Muses, as seen in the company logo. Hippocrene Books, Inc., is distributed to the trade by Two River Distribution, an Ingram brand. History Hippocrene was started by George Blagowidow, who was born in Poland to Russian parents and s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gdańsk Bay
Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk ( pl, Zatoka Gdańska; csb, Gduńskô Hôwinga; russian: Гданьская бухта, Gdan'skaja bukhta, and german: Danziger Bucht) is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland. Geography The western part of Gdańsk Bay is formed by the shallow waters of the Bay of Puck. The southeastern part is the Vistula Lagoon, separated by the Vistula Spit and connected to the open sea by the Strait of Baltiysk. The bay is enclosed by a large curve of the shores of Gdańsk Pomerania in Poland ( Cape Rozewie, Hel Peninsula) and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia ( Sambian Peninsula). The coast of the bay features two very long sandspits, the Hel peninsula and the Vistula Spit. The first one defines the Bay of Puck, the latter one defines the Vistula Lagoon. The maximum depth is 120 meters, and it has a salinity of 0.7%. The major ports and coastal cities are Gdańsk, Gdynia, Puck, Sopot, Hel, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operation Rurka
Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man Publishing's house organ for articles and discussion about its wargaming products * ''The Operation'' (film), a 1973 British television film * ''The Operation'' (1990), a crime, drama, TV movie starring Joe Penny, Lisa Hartman, and Jason Beghe * ''The Operation'' (1992–1998), a reality television series from TLC * The Operation M.D., formerly The Operation, a Canadian garage rock band * "Operation", a song by Relient K from '' The Creepy EP'', 2001 Business * Business operations, the harvesting of value from assets owned by a business * Manufacturing operations, operation of a facility * Operations management, an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production Military and law enforcement ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gdynia
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk. Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the Tricity, Poland, Tricity (''Trójmiasto'') with around 1,000,000 inhabitants. Historically and culturally part of Kashubia and Pomerelia, Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia for centuries remained a small fishing village. By the 20th-century it attracted visitors as a seaside resort town. In 1926, Gdynia was granted city rights after which it enjoyed demographic and urban development, with a Modernist architecture, modernist cityscape. It became a major seaport city of Poland. In 1970, 1970 Polish protests, protests in and aroun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
