Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland. With a population of 470,805, Gdańsk is the capital and largest city of the Pomeranian Voivodeship and the most prominent city in the geographical region of Pomerania. It is Poland's principal seaport and the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly 350 kilometres (220 mi) from the Baltic Sea to the north and 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the Sudeten Mountains to the south. The official population of Wrocław in 2020 was 641,928, with a further 1.25 million residing in the metropolitan area, making it the fourth largest city in Poland.
Świnoujście is a city in Western Pomerania and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, located in the extreme north-west of Poland. Situated mainly on the islands of Usedom and Wolin, it also occupies smaller islands. The largest is Karsibór island, once part of Usedom, now separated by the Piast Canal, formerly the Kaiserfahrt, dug in the late 19th century to facilitate ship access to Szczecin.
ORP Błyskawica (Lightning) is a Grom-class destroyer which served in the Polish Navy during World War II. It is the only Polish Navy ship to have been decorated with the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military order for gallantry, and in 2012 was given the Pro Memoria Medal. Błyskawica is preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia and is the oldest preserved destroyer in the world. Błyskawica is moored next to the Dar Pomorza.
The Battle of Hel was a World War II engagement fought from 1 September to 2 October 1939 on the Hel Peninsula, of the Baltic Sea coast, between invading German forces and defending Polish units during the German invasion of Poland. The defense of the Hel Peninsula took place around the Hel Fortified Area, a system of Polish fortifications that had been constructed in the 1930s near the interwar border with the German Third Reich.
The Gawron class or Projekt 621 was a planned class of multipurpose corvettes ordered by Polish Navy. The Gawron class was a variant of the MEKO A-100 project developed by the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Germany. Construction of the first ship of the class started in 2001. The project was terminated in February 2012 but in October 2013 a contract was signed to complete the existing hull as a patrol ship by 2016. On 2 July 2015, ORP Ślązak was christened and launched, and on 28 November 2019, ORP Ślązak was officially commissioned into the Polish Navy.
The 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla, also known as 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla Vice admiral Kazimierz Porębski, a Polish navy fleet of coastal defense ships based in Świnoujście, one of the three naval groups of the Navy. The flotilla was established in 1965 at the main base of the Navy, previously the Szczecin Coastal Area. From January 1, 2014, the Flotilla was subordinated to the Armed Forces General Command.
BALTOPS is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it.
ORP Poznań(824) is a Lublin-class minelayer-landing ship of Polish Navy, named after the city of Poznań.
The Polish Navy is a military branch of the Polish Armed Forces responsible for naval operations. The Polish Navy consists of 48 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish Navy is ORP.
The Lublin class or Projekt 767 are minelayer-landing ships designed and built in Poland for the Polish Navy, in service since 1989. Only five out of the twelve planned ships were built, by the Northern Shipyard in Gdańsk, due to the fall of Communism. They can carry up to 9 T-72 tanks or 17 transport vehicles such as the Star 266 and 135 equipped troops. They were designed to carry up to 134 naval mines. The ships are named after the chief cities of the Piast dynasty.
ORP Ślązak (241) is an offshore patrol vessel of the Polish Navy, formerly known as Gawron-class corvette. The ship is named Ślązak. It is a licence variant of the MEKO A-100 project developed by Blohm + Voss.
ORP Kraków(823) is a Lublin-class minelayer-landing ship of Polish Navy, named after the city of Kraków.
ORP Toruń(825) is a Lublin-class minelayer-landing ship of Polish Navy, named after the city of Toruń.
ORP Lublin(821) is a Lublin-class minelayer-landing ship of Polish Navy, named after the city of Lublin.
ORP Czajka(624) was a Projekt 206FM-class minehunter of the Polish Navy from the Cold War period.
ORP Mewa(623) was a Projekt 206FM-class minehunter of the Polish Navy from the Cold War period.
ORP Flaming(621) was a Projekt 206FM-class minehunter of the Polish Navy from the Cold War period.
ORP Metalowiec(436) was a Project 1241RE Tarantul I-class corvette of the Polish Navy from the Cold War period. The ship was formerly the R-542 of the Soviet Navy.
Poland
