''Lwów'' was the first officially registered

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

sailing-ship.promare.pl
Launched in 1868 in

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, as frigate ''Chinsura'', from 1883 she was named ''Lucco''; then until 1920, ''Nest''. Since 1920 she was under the

banner. Named ''Lwów'', after the third biggest city of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

, she cruised the whole world in the 1920s, being the first ship under Polish banner to have crossed the

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, during a cruise to

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in 1923. She was also the first Polish training ship. Her notable captains included Mamert Stankiewicz. She was eventually replaced as the Polish training ship by the newer ''

Dar Pomorza The ''Dar Pomorza'' () is a Polish full-rigged sailing ship built in 1909 which is preserved in Gdynia as a museum ship. She has served as a sail training ship in Germany, France, and Poland. ''Dar Pomorza'' won the Cutty Sark Trophy in 1980. ...

''. She was briefly used as a

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; retired in 1938, and was scrapped soon afterwards in the

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port of

Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

. Captain and marine writer

Karol Olgierd Borchardt Karol Olgierd Borchardt (25 March 1905 – 20 May 1986) was a Polish writer and a captain in the Polish Merchant Navy. He was twice awarded the Polish Cross of Valor for heroism and survived the sinking of both the m/v ''Piłsudski'' and the ...

named ''Lwów'' "The cradle of navigators of the Polish Navy".

Under British, Italian and Dutch flags

Little is known about the fate of the British frigate ''Chinsura''. Made of iron, she was launched on 25 April 1868 in

, by Clover and Royle yard, and belonged to T. & J. Brocklenbank, a company from

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. Her total length was 85.1 meters, with a beam of 11.4 meters and a draught of 6.9 meters. Speed was 12.5 knots, propulsion being provided by sails together with two Kromhout engines (added in early 1920s). She sailed on routes from

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and

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, carrying goods and passengers. In 1893 the ''Chinsura'' was bought by the

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company ''Fratelli Olvarii'' from

Camogli Camogli (; ) is a fishing village and tourist resort located on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, on the Golfo Paradiso in the Riviera di Levante, in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, northern Italy. its population was 5,332. C ...

, the name being changed to ''Lucco''. Under that name, she served for only five years, as in 1898 she was caught by a huge storm near the

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, in which it lost masts and almost sank. Nevertheless, the ''Lucco'' reached

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, where she was refitted and soon afterwards purchased by ''P. Landberg & Zoon'', a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

charterer from Batavia, which gave her yet another name, ''Nest''. In 1915, after serving for several years in southeastern

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, the ''Nest'' came to the Netherlands, where she was anchored in

Vlaardingen Vlaardingen () is a large town and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river at the confluence with the Oude Maas. The municipality admin ...

near

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and remained inactive.

Under Polish colours

Some time in mid-1920, the ''Nest'' was noticed by a Polish commission under Captain

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, who was the inspector of ''State Marine School'' in

Tczew Tczew (, formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie within th ...

. Kanski liked the well-preserved, 51-year-old ship and arranged the purchase. After repairs, made by a private company of brothers Van der Windt from Vlaardingen, in July 1921, she came to Tczew (the seaport of Gdynia did not exist yet) and was renamed ''Lwów'', becoming Poland's first training ship. Her first captain was

Tadeusz Bonifacy Ziolkowski ''Tadeusz'' is a Polish first name, derived from Thaddaeus. Tadeusz may refer to: * Tadeusz Bednarowicz (1906–1939), Polish footballer * Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966), Polish military leader * Tadeusz Borowski (1922–1951), Polish wr ...

, an experienced sailor, who had served in the German Navy during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. On 4 September 1921, after a special ceremony, the ''Lwów'' officially became part of the freshly created Polish Navy. Her banner was funded by women living in the city of

Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, and she was handed to Captain Ziolkowski by President of the city of Lwów, dr. Stahl. Among other captains were Mamert Stankiewicz (1924–1926) and Konstanty Maciejewicz (1926–1930).

First years

Between 1921 and 1929, ''Lwów'' did not only serve as a training ship, but also carried goods, to provide funds for her existence. ''Lwów'' served on several lines, cruising the Baltic Sea, the

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and the

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. On 13 August 1923, she was the first ship under Polish banner to cross the Equator, during a cruise to Brazil. Until 1927, she was intensely exploited, as only then the Poles purchased additional ships from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, including the ''Wilno'' and the ''Wilia'' (the latter one transported remains of

Juliusz Słowacki Juliusz Słowacki (; ; ; 4 September 1809 – 3 April 1849) was a Polish Romantic poet. He is considered one of the " Three Bards" of Polish literature — a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of modern Polish drama. Hi ...

to Gdynia and was escorted by the ''Lwów'').

Late years

In 1929 ''Lwów'' went on her last cruise, to

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and then returned to Gdynia, to be replaced with ''

''.zegluj.net
The banner was moved during a special ceremony on 13 July 1930, together with whole crew and some parts of equipment. The ship was transferred to the Polish Navy, which used her as a hulk for crews of submarines. Several navy enthusiasts suggested that ''Lwów'', regarded as a legendary ship, should be preserved as a monument or a museum. However, these wishes were not fulfilled. On 25 September 1937, she was erased from the

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited, trading as Lloyd's Register (LR), is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research ...

. In early 1938 the ship was retired and scrapped in May of that year in Gdynia. According to other sources, she survived until the beginning of

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 ...

, and only then was scrapped by the Germans. It has been estimated that the ship altogether crossed almost .

Under British, Italian and Dutch flags

Under Polish colours

First years

Late years

See also

References

Further reading