ORP Jastrzab

ORP Jastrzab Story

The first significant class of submarine produced for the United States Navy (USN) was the Dutch type "S-class". Originally planned to build 65 ships, 51 were eventually completed, 14 of which were cancelled. Ultimately, 42 served on the team long enough to retire, and 9 died as a result. The last ship was decommissioned in 1946.

Construction of the class is managed by five different U.S. shipyards.

The USS S-25 was one of these Dutch-type ships, launched in 1922 ("interwar"). Until World War II (1939-1945), she was the property of the U.S. Navy and was intended to be a training platform for future generations of submariners. However, due to a shortage of submarines in the Royal Navy, the S-25 was offered to US allies on a lease-lease basis. As a result, she was discharged from the US Navy in November 1941 and quickly incorporated into the Royal Navy as HMS P551.

When she was handed over to the Polish Navy to increase their stocks, her owners changed hands again - where she became ORP Jastrzab (which translates to "eagle").

ORP Jastrzab lived a short life with the Poles and was destroyed by friendly fire on May 2, 1942. The ship approached the Allied escort PQ-15 - either independently or as part of the escort defense (sources vary) - on its way to Murmansk to deliver much-needed war supplies to the besieged Soviets. The crews of Norwegian destroyer HNoMS St Albans and British minesweeper HMS Seagull mistakenly struck ORP Jastrzab with depth charges, forcing the damaged submarine to surface. Once there, she was shot, taking five of her crew and wounding six others.

Her damage was so great that she was abandoned and sunk by the Polish crew.

The ORP Jastrzab operated by the Polish Navy displaces 868 tons when surfaced and 1,080 tons underwater. She has a length of 219.2 feet, a beam of 20.7 feet, and a draft of up to 15.10 feet. She can travel at 14.5 knots when surfaced and 11 knots when underwater.

The crew consisted of 42 officers and sailors, while armament was concentrated in 4 x 21 in torpedo tubes and 1 x 102 mm (4 in) deck gun.

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