Bolesław Romanowski (21 March 1910 – 12 August 1968) was a

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

commander of the

Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Biography

Bolesław Szymon Romanowski was born in Varakļāni in

Livonia Livonia, known in earlier records as Livland, is a historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the Livonians, who lived on the shores of present-day Latvia. By the end of the 13th century, the name was extende ...

. In 1920 he moved with his family to Grabówno in Greater Poland. In 1929 he graduated and entered the Polish Navy Academy. He completed the submarine navigation course then the underwater weapons training. He began his career on the

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

ORP ''Kujawiak'', in 1934 he became the

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

of this ship. One year later he was transferred to the submarine . He also served on and . Shortly before the start of World War II, he was transferred to the submarine . During the

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

the ''Wilk'' operated in

Gdańsk Bay Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk 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 Gulf of Gdańsk is formed by the shallow waters of the Bay of Puck. The so ...

, deployed her mines then left the Polish coast, successfully passing the

Danish straits The Danish straits are the straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak. Historically, the Danish straits were internal waterways of Denmark; however, following territorial losses, Øresund and Fehmarn B ...

(

Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...

) on September 14/15, escaping from the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

and arriving in Great Britain on September 20.Twardowski, M. In 1941 he became the executive officer on , then he assumed command of ex USS ''S-25'' loaned to Polish Navy. Romanowski is the only Polish submarine commander to lead his vessel through the Atlantic Ocean. During the passage of convoy PQ-15 to

Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...

, ''Jastrząb'' on 2 May 1942 was mistakenly engaged by the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

and the

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

. 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.Jerzy Pertek, p.324 The ship was badly damaged and had to be

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

, near . Romanowski was shot in both legs and hospitalized in

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Then he came back to United Kingdom. In late 1942 he became commander of the submarine . He sank five ships in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

and

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

. On 12 December 1944 he took command of . After the war ended Romanowski decided to come back to Poland. In 1947 he was designated commander of the

and brought the ship to Gdynia. After his comeback he was made commander of then of the submarine flotilla. In 1950, during the Stalin repressions he was dismissed and arrested. After the

Polish October The Polish October ( ), also known as the Polish thaw or Gomułka's thaw, also "small stabilization" () was a change in the politics of the Polish People's Republic that occurred in October 1956. Władysław Gomułka was appointed First Secretar ...

he was incorporated in the Polish Navy. Between 1957 and 1961 he served in the General Staff of the Navy before becoming the deputy commander of the Polish Naval Academy. He was transferred to the reserve due to bad health in 1964. Bolesław Romanowski died suddenly on 12 August 1968.

Awards and decorations

POL Odznaka za rany i kontuzje 3 gwiazdki BAR

Wound Decoration (Poland)
POL Virtuti Militari Srebrny BAR

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...

, Silver Cross (Poland)

Cross of Valour (Poland) The Cross of Valour () is a Polish military decoration. It was introduced by the Council of National Defense on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage on the field of battle." It may be aw ...

Silver Cross of Merit
POL Medal Morski 3ok BAR

Naval Medal four times
Medal for the Oder, the Nissa and the Baltic

Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 ( Polish: ''Medal Zwycięstwa i Wolności 1945'') was a Polish military decoration awarded to persons who fought during World War II against Nazi Germany. Overview The medal was introduced by a decree of the Counc ...

Distinguished Service Cross
Ribbon - 1939-45 Star

1939–1945 Star

Atlantic Star The Atlantic Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to Commonwealth of Nations, British Commonwealth forces who took part in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of the ...

with France and Germany Clasp
Ribbon - Africa Star

Africa Star The Africa Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in North Africa between 10 June 1940 and 12 May 1943 during the Second World War. Three clasp ...

Italy Star The Italy Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British Commonwealth forces who served in the Italian Campaign from 1943 to 1945, during the Second World War. The Second World War Stars O ...

Defence Medal
Ribbon - War Medal

War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...

Military promotions

Notes

References

*Marek Twardowski (in Polish): ''"Podwodne drapieżniki" – stawiacze min typu Wilk'' ("Undersea predators" – Wilk class minelayers), in: Morza, Statki i Okręty nr. 3/1998, p. 23–26 * * * * *

External links

Strona internetowa Marynarki Wojennej Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej

Memoriał komandora Bolesława Romanowskiego na stronie findagrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romanowski, Bolesław 1910 births 1968 deaths Polish military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Polish submarine commanders Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)