Jerzy Włodzimierz Świrski (5 April 1882, Kalisz – 12 June 1959, London) was a Polish vice admiral and officer in the Russian Imperial Navy and later the Polish Navy. As Chief of the Polish Naval Command (1925-1947), he was a member of an elite group of high ranking Polish naval officers from foreign navies who became founder members of the re-established naval forces of the newly independent

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Polish naval forces under his command, were embedded with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and contributed significantly to the success of Britain's maritime war effort. He notably fell out with Poland's war time Prime Minister-in-exile,

General Sikorski A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

, but was backed by the British and survived in post. He was appointed an Honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

Background

He was born into a military family on 5 April 1882 in Kalisz, in the Russian Partition of Poland. His father, a graduate of the

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Cadet Corps, was an officer in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

. Świrski attended the Marine Cadet Corps School in

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

from 1889 to 1902. He completed the course for

Navigation officer A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

Russian Imperial Navy service

As a commissioned officer in 1902, he joined the Russian Imperial Navy in the rank of

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

. Initially he was

Watch officer Watchkeeping or watchstanding is the assignment of sailors to specific roles on a ship to operate it continuously. These assignments, also known at sea as ''watches'', are constantly active as they are considered essential to the safe operation o ...

and junior navigation officer on board the cruiser ''

Askold Askold and Dir (''Haskuldr'' or ''Hǫskuldr'' and ''Dyr'' or ''Djur'' in Old Norse; died in 882), mentioned in both the Primary Chronicle and the Nikon Chronicle, were the earliest known ''purportedly Norse'' rulers of Kiev. Primary Chronicle Th ...

''. From 1905 he served in the

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

, as watch officer on the destroyer, '' Rostislav'', on the -type minelayer '' Dunay'' and on the

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

, '' Donetz''. He was later engaged in mine laying operations and as navigation officer on the cruiser '' Pamiat Merkuria''. During 1908 he was briefly training officer on board the mine layer, ''Kronstadt''. Between 1909 and 1911 he returned to the ''Pamiat Merkuria'' as its navigation officer and also on the ''Jevstatije''. Subsequently he served as navigation officer of the Russian Torpedo Division and commander of the torpedo boat, ''Stremitielnyi''. In 1912 he advanced to navigational Flag officer of the Brigade of Naval Destroyers. From 1914 he was a member of the Training Commission for the Black Sea Fleet. Throughout World War I he was the navigation officer of the Black Sea Fleet, rising in 1917 to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, then naval commander.

Navy of the Ukrainian People's Republic

In 1918 he was nominated Chief of Naval Operations of the

Navy of the Ukrainian People's Republic Navy of the Ukrainian People's Republic was a marine military force of the Ukrainian People's Republic that was based on a free will of Imperial Russia sailors to pledge allegiance to Ukraine. The force was never fully operational as the country co ...

and Minister of Naval Affairs of the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...

. That same year he was promoted to

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

of the Ukrainian Hetmanate.

Interwar Period

Independent Poland

Before the end of hostilities, in December 1917, he had made contact with Polish organisations. He became an active member of the 'Polish House' in

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

. After the fall of the Ukrainian People's Republic, he left for Poland, where he joined the League for the Renewal of the Polish Navy, and later went to France where he was active in the National Committee for Poland. In 1919 he joined the Polish Army and was integrated into the Department for Maritime Affairs in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, becoming head of the Organisational Section. In July 1920 he was deputy to the chief of the Department for Maritime Affairs and was acting chief between 6 August to 5 September 1920. From September 1920 he was commander of the Coastal Force, Wybrzeże Morskie, based in Puck. In January 1921 he was confirmed in the rank of colonel of the navy and in April became a member of the Marine Corps. In February 1921 he advanced to the rank of Commander. In May 1922 he was confirmed in the rank with retrospective recognition of seniority dating from June 1919 within the Marine Corps. On 24 November 1922 the Polish Premier and the

Chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

confirmed his status, as of 1 January 1922, as Head of the Fleet, based in Puck. In August 1924 he moved with the Fleet Command to Grabówek, Gdynia. In May 1925 the President of Poland, Stanisław Wojciechowski released him from the Fleet Command and appointed him as chief of Marine Operations in Warsaw. In 1931 he was promoted to the rank of

. On behalf of the Polish Treasury, he signed contracts for the procurement of naval

Destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

Submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s and in 1938 for the Minelayer, ORP "Gryf". ORP Gryf

World War II

On 5 September 1939 Świrski and his staff left Warsaw for

Pińsk Pinsk ( be, Пі́нск; russian: Пи́нск ; Polish: Pińsk; ) is a city located in the Brest Region of Belarus, in the Polesia region, at the confluence of the Pina River and the Pripyat River. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk a ...

, but due to heavy bombing they diverted to the border at Kuty and crossed into

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, arriving in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

on 6 October. He reported to General Sikorski and presented him with a strategy for the deployment of the Polish Marines. These included the continuation of the Polish Navy as a political and naval force, including the merchant fleet, collecting personnel, organizing military transport in France and consolidating resources. Having become Chief of the Directorate of the Polish Navy in October 1939, in December Sikorski recognized the role played by the Polish Navy in the war and ordered that naval matters be concentrated under the command of its chief, Jerzy Świrski. This meant that for the first time, the Polish Navy became independent of the Army. In 1940 after the fall of France, the Polish Ministry of Military Affairs, evacuated to the United Kingdom which became the war time base of the

Polish Government in Exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

Polish-British Naval Agreement

On 18 November 1939 the British and Polish governments had signed an Anglo-Polish naval agreement and protocol laying out how their forces would co-operate. Swirki was a co-signatory of the Anglo-Polish military alliance, alongside Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Władysław Sikorski and Ambassador Edward Bernard Raczyński. In outline Polish vessels would operate embedded within the

, but under their own command. A note dated 6 June 1940 stated that: "A detachment of the Polish Navy, consisting at present of three destroyers, two submarines and a depot ship, is operating in conjunction with the Royal Navy. The depot ship '' ORP Gdynia'' is stationed at Plymouth; two of the destroyers, ORP ''Błyskawica'' and ''Burza'' form part of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla and the third ORP ''Garland'' will shortly join the Mediterranean, and the two submarines, ORP ''Orzeł'' and ''Wilk'' form part of the 2nd submarine Flotilla." Unlike the Polish army and air-force, which were largely decimated in the attack on Poland and the survivors thrown into the battle for France in 1940 to suffer further heavy casualties, the Polish Navy, initially had no shortage of manpower. Three destroyers, two submarines and two training ships, all fully manned, reached the UK. In addition Polish merchantmen contained reservists and other seamen who could be conscripted. The training ships included officer instructors and young officer cadets. In all some 800 officers and other ranks commenced naval service based in the UK. ORP Piorun2

When in 1940 the naval command, under Jerzy Świrski transferred from Paris to London, two administrative divisions were created: The North Command based in

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

and the South Command based in Devonport. Later, the Mediterranean Command was formed after Polish naval forces had expanded to over 3,000. In 1941, shortly after his promotion to Vice admiral, differences emerged between Świrski and Sikorski who had decided to stand him down. As a result, both Świrski and his deputy, Commander Karol Korytowski were to lose their posts. The reason for the dismissals was their management and procurement style in the Marines and especially Świrski's tendency towards independent thinking. The pretext was ostensibly the death by suicide of the commander of the submarine, and the submarine flotilla leader, Lieutenant Commander Bogusław Krawczyk, who opposed the admiral's management priorities. Commander

Tadeusz Morgenstern-Podjazd Tadeusz Józef Roman Morgenstern-Podjazd (9 November 1895 – 5 October 1973) was a Polish naval officer who was one of the founders of the Navy of the Polish Second Republic and who served as the deputy commander of the Navy between September 1 ...

was called in to replace Świrski, but in the event, Świrski remained in post and Morgenstern was confirmed as his deputy. The reason was the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...

could not see anyone competent enough to replace him. Świrski's loyalty towards the

Allies of World War II The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy. ...

was to earn him the

. In October 1942 Morgenstern resigned and Korytowski resumed his previous role. Following Sikorski's dramatic death in an air accident off

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in July 1943, Świrski continued in his earlier role.

Post-war

After the war Świrski did not return to Poland and remained in exile. He was regarded as a distinguished leader of men and as a brilliant strategist. In the history of Polish naval forces he is rated as an exceptional officer and educationalist of the younger officer corps. Among his signal achievements was his three-pronged plan to ensure the sustainability of the Polish Marines as a defence force: 1. A strategy for the establishment of an effective maritime force (1925 ), 2. The concept of Polish Marines closely shadowing and cooperating with the

(1939) 3. Preparing the Marines for post-war effectiveness (1943). He died in June 1959 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and is buried there in Brompton Cemetery. A memorial plaque in his honour was unveiled in St Michael Archangel church at

Oksywie Oksywie (german: Oxhöft, csb, Òksëwiô) is a neighbourhood of the city of Gdynia, Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. Formerly a separate settlement, it is older than Gdynia by several centuries. Etymology Both the Polish and then Germ ...

, Gdynia in 1983. A similar plaque was unveiled in the Polish Naval Cemetery in Gdynia to mark the 80th anniversary of the formation of the Polish Marines. JSwirski tablica

Promotions

* midshipman – 1902 (

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

) * lieutenant – 1905 (Russian Empire) * marine captain – 1912 (Russian Empire) * lieutenant commander – 1914 (Russian Empire) * commander – 1917 (Russian Empire) * rear admiral – 1918 (Ukrainian People's Republic, not ratified) * marine colonel – 1921 back-dated to 1920 * commander – 1921, confirmed 1922 with retrospective seniority from 1919 (

) * rear admiral – 1931 (Poland) * vice admiral – 1941 (Poland)

Honours and awards

Grand Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

; previously Commander's Cross and Officer's Cross (Poland) *

Gold Cross of Merit The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awa ...

(Poland) * POL Order Świętego Stanisława BAR

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

(Poland) * Vapaudenristin 1lk rintatähti mk

Order of the Cross of Liberty (Finland) * Legion Honneur GO ribbon

Grand Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

; previously Commander and Knight (France) * Ordre du Merite maritime Commandeur ribbon

Ordre du Mérite Maritime The ''Ordre du Mérite Maritime'' (French language, French for "Order of Maritime Merit") is a French order established on 9 February 1930 for services rendered by seafarers to recognise the risks involved and the services rendered by seamen, and ...

(France) * Saint vladimir (bande)

Order of St. Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer ...

(Russian Empire) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

(Russian Empire) * SVE Svärdsorden BAR

Order of the Sword (Sweden) * Order of the Bath (ribbon)

Honorary Knight Commander of the

(United Kingdom) * Ribbon - Victory Medal MID

Allied Victory MedalZarządzenia Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej. Zezwolenie na przyjęcie i noszenie orderów , czasopismo ''Dziennik Personalny Ministerstwa Spraw Wojskowyc'' published by Ministerstwo Spraw Wojskowych, p. 380 Nr 8 of 11 November 1931 http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=72384

Bibliography

* ''Dziennik Personalny Ministerstwa Spraw Wojskowych'' (Personnel Journal in the Ministry of Military Affairs) * ''Roczniki Oficerskie'' 1923, 1924, 1928 i 1932. (Officers' Annual Reports) * Graczyk Marcin. ''Admirał Świrski'', Gdańsk: published by Finna Oficyna Wydawnicza 2007 * Czerwiński, J., Czerwińska, M., Babnis, M., Jankowski, A., Sawicki, J., ''Kadry Morskie Rzeczypospolitej'', vol.II Polska Marynarka Wojenna published by Wyższa Szkoła Morska, Gdynia 1996, * Nawrot Dariusz 'Polska Marynarka Wojenna w koncepcjach admirała Jerzego Świrskiego' in ''Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Marynarki Wojennej'' Year LII, No. 2 (185), Gdynia, 2011 * Romanowski Bolesław. ''Torpeda w celu!: Wspomnienia ze służby na okrętach podwodnych 1939-1945'' Warsaw, 1973 * Sokołowska, Małgorzata and Kwiatkowska, Wiesława ''Gdyńskie cmentarze: O twórcach miasta, portu i floty'', Gdynia: Oficyna Verbi-Causa, 2003

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swirski, Jerzy 1882 births 1959 deaths Burials at Brompton Cemetery People from Kalisz Polish Navy admirals Military personnel of the Russian Empire Polish people of World War I Ukrainian admirals Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of St. Anna Recipients of the Order of the Sword Companions of the Order of the Bath