Poland's only submarine in use on Wednesday docked in the PGZ Naval Shipyard in Gdynia for a general overhaul. This means that until the vessel has been repaired, Polish Navy will be left without a single submarine in combat readiness.
The ORP Orzeł is a Polish Navy 'Project 877E' (Kilo-class) submarine which was built in 1985. It is the only operating submarine in the Polish Navy. The vessel was assigned to the 3rd Flotilla based in Gdynia.
The overhaul is to take at least a few months, which means that, for the first time in decades, Polish Navy will be left without a single combat-ready submarine.
"The history of submarines serving in the Polish Navy shows that in fact there are no priorities as regards to the Naval Forces and types of ships. One day we want submarines, and on the other surface vessels, but really no one has ever specified in which capacity these units are meant to serve," said Captain Maksymilian Dura from defence24.pl portal.
He added that Poland did not have a stable and ongoing plan for modernising its Naval Forces.
It remains unknown exactly how long the overhaul would take. The list of issues that need to be looked into includes renovation and conservation of the hull, repairing high-pressure cylinders, ballast system and fuel tanks, steering and general hydraulics, as well as exhaust system.
A contract between the PGZ Naval Shipyard and The Command of the Naval Port of Gdynia, worth 22.5 million zlotys, was signed on October 1.
PGZ Naval Shipyard is the oldest Polish shipyard operating since 1922, continuing the tradition of the Naval Shipyard and established in Puck before World War II, and then transferred to Gdynia Naval Port Workshops.
From the very beginning, the main task of the Shipyard was precisely the maintenance, servicing and construction of new vessels for the Polish Navy, and the plant inseparably entered the history of both the Polish Navy and the city of Gdynia.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: 3 Flotylla Okrętów MW