ORP Żuraw
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ORP Żuraw
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History | |
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Poland | |
Name | ORP Żuraw |
Builder | Polish Navy Shipyard (Stocznia Marynarki Wojennej), Gdynia |
Launched | 22 September 1938 |
Fate | Captured by Nazi Germany, 2 October 1939 |
Nazi Germany | |
Name | Oxhöft |
Acquired | Captured, 2 October 1939 |
Fate | Surrendered 1945 |
Poland | |
Name | ORP Żuraw |
Recommissioned | 25 January 1946 |
Decommissioned | 1977 |
Renamed |
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Reclassified |
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Fate | Broken up 1981 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Jaskółka-class minesweeper |
Displacement | 183 t standard |
Length | 45.0 m (147 ft 8 in) |
Beam | 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) |
Propulsion | 2 × diesel engines, 1,050 hp (780 kW) total |
Speed | 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) |
Armament |
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ORP Żuraw was a
Construction and career
Żuraw was built at the Polish Navy Shipyard (Stocznia Marynarki Wojennej) in Gdynia as a Jaskkóła-class warship minesweeper. She was named and launched on 22 September 1938.
The ship was rushed into service and developed problems with the steering gear, possibly because the ship was incomplete when it was put into service. She was under the command of Capt Mjr. Robert Kasperski and her homeport was at Jastarnia.
On 1 September 1939 the ship participated in the defense of the
Under the German Navy the ship underwent a retrofit with modifications of the middle section, and the guard of the fight ramp was also altered.[1] Together with three other Polish Navy trawlers that survived the war (Mewa, Rybitwa, Czajka), Żuraw saw service as part of the auxiliary force of German trawlers.
After the war ended, the ships were recovered by the Polish Government at Travemünde and returned to service with the Polish Navy on 25 January 1946. At Travemünde, the Polish Flag was raised and the ship regained its former Polish name Żuraw. On or about 13 February 1946, she was transferred to Kilonia, where new armament (5 German 20 mm cannons) and trawling equipment were added.[1]
On 12 March 1946, the trawlers, together with Żuraw returned to
On or about 15 September 1948 Żuraw was officially reclassified and converted as a hydrographical survey ship with the identification mark: HG-11.[1] She became the first hydrographical survey ship of the Polish Navy following the end of World War II.
On about 1 September 1951, 12 members from the crew took over the ship and rerouted the ship to the harbor of
From 1959 to 1963 Kompas underwent a major retrofit at the Polish Navy Shipyard.[1] At the end of December 1971 the ship was converted to a military hotel quarters barge BK-4 at Gdynia shipyard.[1] In 1977 it was designated to salvage.
A storm on New Year's Eve 1978/1979 broke the rigging [citation needed] and the ship was beached at the orchestra at basin X, and removed from active service.
On or about 16 July 1981, she was towed by the tugboat H-12 to the Hel peninsula and the salvage operation began.
Service
- 1937 – laying the stump for the main haul
- 22 September 1938 – waterborne
- 31 September 1939(?) raising of the Polish Flag
- 14 September – lowering of the Polish Flag
- 2 October 1939 – 1945 – captured by Germany during World War II; in service as a German warship Oxhöft in Kriegsmarine
- since 15 October 1945 – at Deutsche Mineräumdienststeilung
- 25 January 1946 – raising of the Polish flag and return to Polish original name ORP Żuraw.
- 15 October 1948 – retro as a hydro-graphical and drafting studio service ship.
- 1 September 1951 – detour of the craft to Sweden
- 1951 – renaming to ORP Kompas
- December - Military service quarters barge BK–4
- 1977 – end of life service cycle with salvage destination.
- 31 December 1978/1 January 1979 – breaking of anchors and consequent shoring.
- 1981 beginning of salvage operation.
Technical data
- Displacements:
- Standard – 183 tons,
- full– 203 tons (after retro. – 300 tons)
- dimensions:
- overall length – 45 m (after retro. 45.7 m)
- width – 5.5 m (after retro. 5.5 m)
- submergence – 1.7 m (after retro. 2.2 m)
- power plants: 2 8 cyl. Diesel engines with a combined total power of 1050 HP
- reach: 4300 Mm speed 8.3 w. – after retro.
- cruising speed: 18 knots (after retro. 14.3 w)
- crew: 30 (after retro. 38)
- Armament (prior to 1939):
- 1 cannon caliber 75 mm
- 1 dual interlocked machine gun 13.2 mm Hotchkiss
- 2 heavy antiaircraft machine guns caliber 7.92 mm
- 20 contact mines type 08/39
- 20 depth bombs
- Armament (1946–1948):
- 5 antiaircraft machine gun caliber 20 mm (one dual and one single)
- 20 nautical mine wz.08
- Armament (1948–1949):
- 2 antiaircraft machine guns caliber 20 mm (1 dual interlocked)
- after 1950 – disarmed
- trolling equipment: 2 sets (as a minesweeper)
References
Bibliography
- St. Kierzkowski, Okręt hydrograficzny ORP "Żuraw" w: Żołnierz Polski 16-17/1990
- St. Kierzkowski, Okręt hydrograficzny "Kompas" w: Żołnierz Polski 26/1988
- Marek Soroka, Polskie okręty wojenne 1945-1980, Wydawnictwo Morskie, Gdańsk 1986, ISBN 83-215-3249-7