ORP Czajka (1966)
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ORP ''Czajka'' is a Polish base
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
from the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
era, one of a series of 12 vessels of , converted between 1998 and 1999 to a
minehunter A minehunter is a naval vessel that seeks, detects, and destroys individual naval mines. Minesweepers, on the other hand, clear mined areas as a whole, without prior detection of mines. A vessel that combines both of these roles is known as ...
of Projekt 206FM. The unit measured 58.2 meters in length, 7.97 meters in width, and had a draft of 2.14 meters, with a full displacement of 470 tons. It was armed with three double sets of 25 mm 2M-3M autocannons and
depth charges A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarines by detonating in the water near the target and subjecting it to a destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosives with a fuze set to deto ...
, and was also adapted for transporting and deploying
naval mines A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are deposited and le ...
. It was launched on 17 December 1966 at
Stocznia Gdynia Stocznia Gdynia was a shipyard located in the Port of Gdynia, Poland. It was founded in 1922. It has been in liquidation since 2009 and does not conduct production activities. In 1970, workers of Gdynia Shipyard rose up against the ruling Poli ...
, and it was commissioned into the
Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...
on 23 June 1967. The heavily utilized unit, designated with the
pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...
624, initially served in the 13th Minesweeper Division of the in Hel, and after its dissolution in 2006, it was assigned to the
8th Coastal Defence Flotilla The 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla ( also known as 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla Vice admiral Kazimierz Porębski, a Polish Navy, Polish navy Naval fleet, fleet of Coastal defence ship, coastal defense ships based in Świnoujście, one of the three ...
. ORP ''Czajka'' was part of the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
mine countermeasures task forces four times and participated in numerous international maneuvers and exercises, clearing dangerous remnants 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 ...
from Polish and foreign waters. The ship was decommissioned in December 2021.


Design and construction

Work on a new type of minesweeper began at the Central Ship Design Bureau No. 2 in
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
in 1958 to replace the minesweepers, which had been in service since 1946. Initially, the new vessels were intended to be roadstead minesweepers, capable of conducting both contact and non-contact mine clearance operations in the vicinity of naval bases and laying small minefields. These ships were to have a displacement of approximately 200 tons, a speed of 18 knots, a range of 3,000 nautical miles, and armament consisting of two 45 mm guns and four 14.5 mm heavy machine guns, with mine clearance equipment standard for the late 1950s. Simultaneously, the Navy Command issued requirements for a new base minesweeper with a displacement of 570 tons, despite ongoing preparations for the licensed production of Soviet T43-class minesweepers. Under the leadership of engineer Henryk Andrzejewski, Central Ship Design Bureau No. 2 prepared both the design for a roadstead minesweeper (designated Projekt 206) and four designs for larger base minesweepers (Projekts 250–253). After much debate, it was decided to halt work on the Projekt 250–253 base minesweepers in favor of converting the Projekt 206 vessel into a base minesweeper. In 1959, Central Ship Design Bureau No. 2 developed a modified minesweeper design with a displacement of 425 tons, powered by Italian
Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
diesel engines The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the die ...
, as no suitable propulsion units were being produced in socialist countries.Initially, it was planned to use Dutch RHUB 215 diesel engines with a power of 1,500 hp to power the minesweepers; however, a license could not be obtained for them (similarly to the Fiat engines, of which 24 units were ultimately purchased for a total of 2.4 million USD) (). The project (designated B206F)The letter ''F'' in the project designation likely symbolizes the Fiat engines used to power the minesweepers (). was approved for implementation in December 1959 by the
Minister of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...
, but the final technical design was not approved by the Navy Command until 19 February 1962. The documentation costs amounted to 1.7 million PLN, the construction of the prototype (the future ') cost 80 million PLN, and the cost of a serial ship was 65.5 million PLN. The unit's annual operational limit was set at 700 hours, with the structure's lifespan estimated at 20 years. ORP ''Czajka'' was built at
Stocznia Gdynia Stocznia Gdynia was a shipyard located in the Port of Gdynia, Poland. It was founded in 1922. It has been in liquidation since 2009 and does not conduct production activities. In 1970, workers of Gdynia Shipyard rose up against the ruling Poli ...
(yard number 206F/12). Military oversight of the construction was carried out by Lieutenant Commander . The shipyard used a method of building the vessel's hull from sections joined on the slipway, a technique previously developed for the mass production of
fishing trawlers A fishing trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate Trawling, fishing trawls. Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively dragging or pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing n ...
. The keel of the ship was laid on 12 September 1966, and it was launched on 17 December 1966. The minesweeper was given the traditional name for Polish mine warfare vessels, taken from a bird. The ship's godmother was the wife of one of the builders, Kazimiera Prządak.


Tactical and technical data

The ship was a smooth-deck, ocean-going minesweeper designed for operation in conditions of partial ice cover. The overall length was 58.2 meters, width was 7.97 meters, and draft was 2.14 meters. The side height measured 4 meters. Constructed from steel, the vessel's fully welded hull was reinforced to increase resistance to underwater explosions. It was divided into seven watertight compartments: (from the
bow BOW as an acronym may refer to: * Bag of waters, amniotic sac * Bartow Municipal Airport (IATA:BOW), a public use airport near Bartow, Florida, United States * Basic operating weight of an aircraft * BOW counties, made of Brown, Outagamie, and Winn ...
): I – forecastle (bosun's store, ship's equipment store, food store, chain locker, and
anchor windlass A windlass is a machine used on ships that is used to let-out and heave-up equipment such as a ship's anchor or a fishing trawl. On some ships, it may be located in a specific room called the windlass room. An anchor windlass is a machine tha ...
), II –
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
station and ammunition and electrical storage, III – living quarters and
gyrocompass A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which is based on a fast-spinning disc and the rotation of the Earth (or another planetary body if used elsewhere in the universe) to find geographical Direction (geometry), direction automaticall ...
and artillery central room, IV – auxiliary engine room, V – main engine room with propulsion control center, VI –
stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...
crew quarters, and VII – minesweeping equipment store,
steering engine A steering engine is a power steering device for ships. History Prior to the invention of the steering engine, large steam-powered warships with manual steering needed huge crews to turn the rudder rapidly. The Royal Navy once used 78 men hauli ...
, and
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
chutes. The lowest level of the hull housed
fuel tanks A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids, often gasoline or diesel fuel. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which t ...
, freshwater, and service water tanks, as well as the propeller shafts. On the lower level of the
superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...
were the officers' cabins, mess, galley, sanitary facilities, and food storage. The upper part contained the
bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
and cabins for radio, navigation, and sonar, along with a command post on the signal deck covered with a
tarpaulin A tarpaulin ( , ) or tarp is a large sheet of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, often cloth such as canvas or polyester coated with polyurethane, or made of plastics such as polyethylene. Tarpaulins often have reinf ...
roof and a light three-legged mast with radio equipment antennas. The standard displacement was 426 tons, while the full displacement was 470 tons. report a standard displacement of 424 tons and a full displacement of 503 tons, while states that the displacement was 450/483 tons. The ship was powered by two non-reversible,
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
12-
cylinder A cylinder () has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infinite ...
four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...
diesel engines The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the die ...
in a V configuration, the
FIAT Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
2312SS, each with a maximum power of 1,324 kW (1,800 hp; the nominal power was 1,400 hp at 920
rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
), driving two controllable pitch propellers via Lohman GUB reduction gears. The maximum speed of the vessel was 18.4 knots (economical speed – 17 knots). The ship could carry 55.5 tons of fuel, providing a range of 2,000 nautical miles at a speed of 17 knots. and state that the range was 2,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots, while claims it was 3,200 nautical miles at 12 knots. At the stern, there were two balanced
rudders A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to c ...
, each with an area of 1.7 m², operated by an MS25 steering gear. Electrical power was supplied by four British main generators, Ruston S324M, each rated at 60 kVA (consisting of a generator and a Leyland SW400 engine with a power of 72 hp at 1,500 rpm), an auxiliary generator S322M rated at 27 kVA, and an electromagnetic minesweeping generator M50. The ship's autonomy was 12 days. It could safely operate in sea state 8, while performing minesweeping tasks in sea state 4, at speeds ranging from 0 to 12 knots. The ship's initial artillery armament consisted of three twin 2M-3M 25 mm autocannons, with a total ammunition supply of 6,000 rounds. These were positioned with one mount forward of the superstructure along the ship's centerline and two mounts side by side on the aft superstructure. The
anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...
armament included two below-deck
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...
racks, with a total of 12 B-1 depth charges. Additionally, the ship was equipped with two deck-mounted mine rails, capable of alternately carrying 10 KB or AMD-500 mines, 16 08/39 mines, or 8 AMD-1000 mines. The crew was also armed with individual weapons, including 22
AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...
rifles and 8 pistols, with a total ammunition stock of 17,000 rounds. Minesweeping equipment included the MT-2 contact sweep, TEM-52M electromagnetic sweep, and BAT-2 acoustic sweep. The ship's electronic equipment included the Kremnij-2
identification friend or foe Identification, friend or foe (IFF) is a combat identification system designed for command and control. It uses a transponder that listens for an ''interrogation'' signal and then sends a ''response'' that identifies the broadcaster. IFF syst ...
system, R-609 VHF
radio communication station A radio communication station is a set of equipment necessary to carry on communication via radio waves. Generally, it is a receiver or transmitter or transceiver, an antenna, and some smaller additional equipment necessary to operate them. They ...
, R-644 HF transmitter, R-671 HF receiver, R-619 wideband receiver, ARP-50-1,2M
direction finder Direction finding (DF), radio direction finding (RDF), or radiogoniometry is the use of radio wave Radio waves (formerly called Hertzian waves) are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the lowest frequencies and the longest wavele ...
, Tamir-11M (MG-11M) sonar, Lin-M general observation radar, and Rym-K radio navigation system. The ship was also equipped with 8 smoke candle racks, a Kurs-4 gyrocompass, UKPM-1M and UKPM-3M magnetic compasses, a NEŁ-5
echo sounder Echo sounding or depth sounding is the use of sonar for ranging, normally to determine the depth of water (bathymetry). It involves transmitting acoustic waves into water and recording the time interval between emission and return of a pulse; ...
, MGŁ-25
chip log A chip log, also called common log, ship log, or just log, is a navigation tool sailor, mariners use to estimate the speed of a vessel through water. The word ''knot (unit), knot'', to mean nautical mile per hour, derives from this measurement m ...
, and an
infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...
group navigation system called ''Chmiel''. The minesweeper was adapted for passive defense against nuclear and chemical threats. For this purpose, three rooms with filtration and ventilation devices were constructed, and dosimetric equipment, as well as decontamination spray pipelines, were installed on the ship.
Degaussing Degaussing, or deperming, is the process of decreasing or eliminating a remnant magnetic field. It is named after the gauss, a unit of magnetism, which in turn was named after Carl Friedrich Gauss. Due to magnetic hysteresis, it is generally not ...
equipment further supplemented the vessel's systems. The ship's crew initially consisted of 49 personnel – 5 officers, 16
non-commissioned officers A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
, and 28 sailors.


Service


Service as a minesweeper (1967–1998)

On 23 June 1967, ORP ''Czajka'' was commissioned into the
Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...
under the order of the Navy Commander No. 033/org. dated June 17 of that year. states that the commissioning took place on 26 june 1967. The vessel, marked with the penannt number 624, joined the 13th Minesweeper Division of the , stationed in Hel. The ship's tasks included searching for and destroying minefields, conducting reconnaissance and control sweeping, marking navigation routes, and guiding vessels or their groups along those routes. Along with its sister ships, ''Czajka'' participated in nearly all significant exercises of Polish vessels and the
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
fleets, frequently engaging in the disposal of unexploded ordnance from
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 ...
. In the early 1970s, ORP ''Czajka'' belonged to the IV group of the 13th Minesweeper Division (alongside ' and '' Mewa''). From 1970 to 1974, the vessel participated in mine searching in the area designated for the construction of the Northern Port in
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
. In June 1975, due to the introduction of a new numbering system by the Polish Navy, the vessel's pennant number was changed to 654. In that month, the minesweeper took part in the Polish Navy exercises codenamed ''Posejdon-75''. In mid-1976, the vessel underwent another renumbering, receiving the number 679. It returned to its original designation (624) in mid-1978. On 24 November 1978, ''Czajka'' was awarded the title of the best ship of the Polish Navy in its class. In the late 1970s, the vessel was tested multiple times with prototypes of the ZU-23-2M Wróbel artillery system, but in the early 1980s, the minesweeper was equipped with this type of weapon (which was soon removed and replaced with older 2M-3M systems due to high failure rates). In 1985, the ship participated in exercises codenamed ''Reda-85'' and ''Barakuda-85''. In 1987, ''Czajka'' took part in mine clearance operations near
Świnoujście Świnoujście (; ; ; meaning " Świna ivermouth"; ) is a city in Western Pomerania and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, in the extreme north-west of Poland, mainly on the islands of Usedom and Wolin, and Karsibór island, once ...
. From 6 to 18 June 1995, the unit (alongside its sister ships ORP ', '' Flaming'', and '' Mewa'', the submarine ''
Wilk Wilk is a surname of English and Polish-language origin. In Poland, the surname means wolf and is pronounced . It has 35,000 bearers in Poland and ranks about 60th on the list of the most popular Polish surnames (fifth in Podkarpackie Voivodeship ...
'', and the missile ships ' and ') participated in the NATO naval forces international exercise
BALTOPS BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) 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. The purpose of BALTOPS is to train gunnery, repleni ...
’95. From 2 to 14 October 1995, the vessel took part in mine countermeasure exercises organized by the
Belgian Navy The Belgian Navy, officially the Naval Component (, ; , ; , ) of the Belgian Armed Forces, is the Navy, naval service of Belgium. History Early history The Belgian Navy was created as the ''Marine Royale'' () on 15 January 1831. This force ...
(alongside the minesweepers ''Mewa'' and ' and the tanker '' Bałtyk''). From 14 to 16 September 1996, ORP ''Czajka'', along with the mine destroyers: Belgian ''
Lobelia ''Lobelia'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae comprising 415 species, with a subcosmopolitan distribution primarily in tropical to warm temperate regions of the world, a few species extending into cooler temperate r ...
'' and ''
Primula ''Primula'' () is a genus of herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family (biology), family Primulaceae. They include the primrose (''Primula vulgaris, P. vulgaris''), a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common specie ...
'', Dutch ''Zierikzee'', and Polish minesweepers ''Flaming'', ''Mewa'', and ', participated in searching for and destroying mines in the shipping lanes of the
Gdańsk Bay Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland. Geography The western part of Gulf of Gdańsk is formed by the shallow waters of the Bay of Puck. The so ...
. During its long service, the ship's electronic equipment was modernized: the Lin-M radar was replaced with a newer TRN-823, the Kremnij-2 identification friend or foe was replaced with Nichrom-RR, and a second SRN-2061 radar station was added. The outdated Rym-K radionavigation system was also removed and replaced with a more modern Bras system (with the Hals receiver); British Decca Pirs-1M radionavigation receivers were also installed. In the early 1980s, the ship's anti-aircraft armament was enhanced by installing two quadruple Fasta-4M launchers for
9K32 Strela-2 The 9K32 Strela-2 (; NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a light-weight, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile or MANPADS system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes with passive infrared homing, infrared-homing guidance and dest ...
anti-aircraft missiles (with a total of 16 missiles) on both sides of the funnel. Changes also affected the sweeping equipment: the MT-2 contact sweep was upgraded to the MT-2W variant (with explosive cutters), and new Polish electromagnetic sweep TEM-PE-2 and deep-water, high-speed acoustic sweep BGAT were installed.


Conversion to a minehunter

By the end of 1998, ORP ''Czajka'' was decommissioned and underwent conversion to a
Projekt 206FM-class minehunter The Project 206FM class (NATO reporting name: "Krogulec"-class), originally designated Project 206F, were mine-countermeasure vessels of the Polish Navy built during the mid-1960s. Class history The twelve ships of this class were built at the '' ...
, a process that lasted until 2000. The modernization design was developed and executed at the
Polish Navy Shipyard Polish Navy Shipyard () is a Polish shipyard located in Gdynia. It is the oldest operating shipyard in Poland. The first Polish shipyard on the Baltic Sea after regaining independence was established on May 10, 1922, as a result of moving the Nav ...
in
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 ...
. The overhaul included modifications to most compartments and the internal structure of the hull, which was divided into 10 watertight compartments. Some plating was replaced, and the vessel received an entirely new, larger superstructure, funnel, and tripod mast. The superstructure now housed the main command post, as well as a two-compartment
diving chamber A diving chamber is a vessel for human occupation, which may have an entrance that can be sealed to hold an internal pressure significantly higher than ambient pressure, a pressurised gas system to control the internal pressure, and a supply of ...
manufactured by the
Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
company Aquaticus, designated for the new crew members – divers. The original three 25 mm gun emplacements were replaced with a single ZU-23-2MR Wróbel II rocket-artillery system with dual 23 mm cannons, while the two quadruple launchers for
9K32 Strela-2 The 9K32 Strela-2 (; NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a light-weight, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile or MANPADS system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes with passive infrared homing, infrared-homing guidance and dest ...
missiles were retained, and the vessel was stripped of its depth charge racks. The ship's mine rails were adapted to carry alternatively: 12 OS mines, 12 MMD-1 mines, 12 MMD-2 mines, or 6 OD mines. The mine countermeasure equipment was also upgraded to include, in addition to the MT-2W contact sweep (equipped with
Bofors AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms manufacturer BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years. History Locate ...
explosive cutters), an electromagnetic sweep TEM-PE-2MA, an acoustic sweep MTA-2, and two Ukwiał underwater vehicles (designed and built at the
Gdańsk University of Technology The Gdańsk University of Technology (Gdańsk Tech, formerly GUT; ) is a public research university in Gdańsk, Poland. Founded in 1904 and re-established in 1945, it is the oldest university of technology in modern-day Poland. It is consisten ...
). The electronic equipment was also upgraded, now consisting of the Pstrokosz command support system, a Decca Bridge Master navigation radar, an SHL-100MA sonar, a towed SHL-200 Flaming B sonar, the Jemiołuszka precise navigation system, and the Supraśl identification friend-or-foe system. Additional installations included: the FIN Skog
electronic navigational chart An electronic navigational chart (ENC) is an official database created by a national hydrographic office for use with an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). ECDIS and ENCs are the primary means of electronic navigation on c ...
set, HF and UHF fibre optic gyrocompasses by Rohde & Schwarz, a C.Plath fiber-optic gyrocompass, a STN Atlas
Doppler The Doppler effect (also Doppler shift) is the change in the frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the source of the wave. The ''Doppler effect'' is named after the physicist Christian Doppler, who described ...
log, and the MORS shipwide broadcast system. Additionally, a set of six WNP81/9 Jastrząb decoy launchers was installed, and the worn FIAT engines were replaced with six-cylinder Cegielski-Sulzer 6AL25/30 diesel engines, each with a maximum output of 1,700 hp (nominally 1,100 hp at 750 rpm). New generator sets were also installed. A key environmental protection upgrade included the installation of a new sewage treatment plant, recovery oil and oily water tanks, and a seawater desalination unit. The addition of new equipment increased the full displacement to 507 tons and raised the crew size to 54. states that the full displacement increased to 559 tons. The cost of the ship's modernization amounted to approximately 38 million PLN.


Service as a minehunter (2000–2021)

On 26 May 2000, ORP ''Czajka'' was recommissioned in the Naval Port in Hel. In July of that year, the modernized ''Czajka'' was presented at the world exhibition
Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially, some 40 million people were ...
in
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
. From 6 to 7 July 2000, the vessel participated in Polish-German mine countermeasure exercises in the
Bay of Kiel The Bay of Kiel or Kiel Bay (, ; ) is a bay in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the shores of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and the islands of Denmark. It is connected with the Bay of Mecklenburg in the east, the Little Belt in the northwest, ...
(alongside the minesweepers ', ', the rescue boat ', and the tanker '). From April 21 to 12 May 2001, ''Czajka'', along with ''Mewa'', as part of the Mine Counter Measure Forces North (MCMForNorth), took part in the Blue Game 2001 exercises in the
Danish straits The Danish straits are the straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak. Historically, the Danish straits were internal waterways of Denmark; however, following territorial losses, Øresund and Fehmarn B ...
. From 21 to 25 May, the vessel participated in the mine countermeasure exercises Squadex, which included Polish ships (ORP ''Mewa'', ''Gopło'', and ') as well as the German minesweeper ''Laboe'', the Estonian ships '' Wambola'' and '' Admiral Pitka'', and the Latvian ship '' Viesturs''. Between 4 and 19 September, ORP ''Czajka'' and ''Śniardwy'' participated in the Open Spirit 2001 exercises in the
Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...
, where they searched for mines and other hazards near the approaches to the port of
Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
. From 24 to 30 October, ''Czajka'', along with its twin ship ''Flaming'', joined the Passex international exercises. In 2001, under the command of
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
Aleksander Gierkowski, ''Czajka'' was awarded as the best ship of the 9th Coastal Defense Flotilla and the best combat ship of the Polish Navy in the over-400-ton displacement category. In October and November, the navy's mine countermeasure team (ORP ''Czajka'', ''Flaming'', ', ', ''Drużno'', ''Wigry'', and ''Śniardwy'') cleared hazardous elements from the marine range between
Ustka Ustka (, , ) is a spa town in the Middle Pomerania region of northern Poland with 17,100 inhabitants (2001). It is part of Słupsk County in Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is located on the Slovincian Coast on the Baltic Sea. It is a port town and po ...
and
Wicko Morskie Wicko Morskie ()''Ortsnamenverzeichnis der Ortschaften jenseits von Oder und Neiße'' by M. Kaemmerer is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Postomino, within Sławno County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It l ...
in preparation for NATO's Strong Resolve 2002 exercises. From 1 to 15 March 2002, NATO's Strong Resolve 2002 naval exercises took place in Poland and Norway, involving over 100 ships. The Polish Navy deployed 14 ships, including ORP ''Czajka'', '' Orzeł'', ', ''
Gniezno Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...
'', ''
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
'', '' Orkan'', ', ''Rolnik'', ''Flaming'', ''Mewa'', ', ''Kaszub'', ''Zawzięty'', and ''Zwinny''. From April 22 to May 10, ''Czajka'' (under the command of Lieutenant Krzysztof Rybak) and ''Flaming'' participated in the Blue Game 2002 exercises in the Danish straits. Between 18 and 26 October, ORP ''Czajka'' and ''Mewa'' joined the Open Spirit 2002 mine countermeasure exercises in the
Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia (, , ) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main connection between the gulf and t ...
, where the crew of ''Czajka'' destroyed two German mines weighing 480 kg each. From 25 to 30 November, these ships, along with ''Flaming'', participated in the Passex exercises in Polish waters. On 13 February 2003, the minehunter crew retrieved a German
G7e torpedo The G7e torpedo was the standard electric torpedo used by the German ''Kriegsmarine'' submarines in World War II. It came in 20 different versions, with the initial model G7e(TII) in service at the outbreak of the war. Due to several problems, le ...
from the bottom of the Gdańsk Bay near Gdynia, which was later detonated on a marine range. On April 23, ''Czajka'' joined the NATO Mine Counter Measure Forces North (MCMForNorth), becoming the second Polish vessel (after ''Mewa'') to participate, completing its mission on July 10. From April 28 to May 16, the ship, along with ''Mewa'' and the landing ship ''
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
'', participated in Blue Game 2003 exercises in the Danish straits and the southern Baltic. ORP ''Czajka'' also represented the Polish Navy in the following edition of these international exercises from April 27 to 13 May 2004. Between August 14 and 13 October 2004, the vessel once again served on standby with MCMForNorth, participating in mine countermeasure operations off the coast of Lithuania in Open Spirit 2004 and in international Passex exercises. On 22 March 2005, the vessel assisted in retrieving a 533 mm torpedo from the Gdańsk Bay near the Fisherman’s Settlement. In May, ORP ''Czajka'' served as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
for the MCM Sqnex mine countermeasure exercises on the Baltic Sea, involving 14 ships from seven NATO countries, with Poland represented by ORP ''Czajka'', ''Flaming'', ''Gopło'', and ''Śniardwy''. At the turn of 2005 and 2006, the Jastrząb decoy launchers were dismantled from the vessel. In June 2006, with the disbanding of the 9th Coastal Defense Flotilla, ''Czajka'' and the entire 13th Minesweeper Squadron were transferred to Gdynia, becoming part of the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla from that point forward. From 4 to 12 September 2006, the unit, along with the twin vessel ''Flaming'', participated in the international Open Spirit 2006 exercises held in the waters of the Gulf of Finland. In 2007, the
automatic identification system The automatic identification system (AIS) is an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is used by vessel traffic services (VTS). When satellites are used to receive AIS signatures, the term ''Satellite-AIS'' (S-AIS) is ...
was installed on the ship. On May 2, ''Czajka'''s crew destroyed a German mine with an explosive payload of around 750 kg, which had been recovered the previous day by and a diving team from the seabed in Gdańsk’s
Nowy Port Nowy Port (; ) is a district of the city of Gdańsk, Poland. It borders with Brzeźno to the west, Letnica, Gdańsk, Letnica to the south, and Stogi-Przeróbka, Przeróbka to the east (over the Martwa Wisła). The landmark of the district is the ...
. From 14 to 24 May, the vessel took part in the large-scale NATO naval exercise Noble Mariner '07, conducted in the waters of the Baltic Sea, the Danish straits, and the North Sea. The Polish naval contingent in addition to ''Czajka'' included the missile frigate '' Generał Tadeusz Kościuszko'', the submarine ', the rescue ship ', the minesweepers ', ', and ', the rescue cutter ''Zbyszko'', and the tug '. On 30 July 2007, under the command of Captain Lieutenant Jarosław Tuszkowski, the vessel commenced a 2.5-month mission as part of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group (SNMCMG1), concluding on October 16. Between August 31 and September 10, ''Czajka'' and ''Mewa'' participated in international mine countermeasure exercises Open Spirit 2007, held in the waters of the Baltic states. From 4 to 14 May 2008, ''Czajka'' took part in the international MCOPLIT operation (Mine Clearance Operation Lithuania) to clear unexploded ordnance off the coast of Lithuania. From 19 to 23 May 2008, ''Czajka'', ''Flaming'', and ''Gopło'' participated in Passex exercises in the Gdańsk Bay. Between 1 and 12 September, the vessel joined the international mine countermeasure exercises Open Spirit 2008 in the waters of the Gulf of Riga, destroying five mines (three moored and two ground mines) and a torpedo. In the latter half of September, the unit took part in the Polish Armed Forces’ largest annual exercises, Anakonda 2008. In 2009, the vessel underwent an overhaul lasting over a year. In July 2010, ''Czajka'' took part in SNMCMG1 exercises Danex held in Danish waters. On 27 September 2010, the 13th Minesweeper Squadron, including ''Czajka'', was subordinated to the command of the
3rd Ship Flotilla 3rd Ship Flotilla () is a tactical unit of the Polish Navy composed of 11 subunits. The unit is a main strike force of the Polish Navy, it operates various warships types such as frigates, corvettes, submarines or fast attack crafts. The main bas ...
. From 23 to 27 May 2011, ''Czajka'' participated in the maritime component of the Polish Armed Forces exercise Rekin 2011, alongside ''Kondor'', ''Gen. T. Kościuszko'', ''Orkan'', '' Piorun'', ''Sarbsko'', ', ', ''Śniardwy'', ''Mewa'', ''
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
'', ''Poznań'', ''
Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
'', ', ', ''Bałtyk'', ', and '' Arctowski''. On November 24, the vessel’s crew retrieved two torpedoes from the seabed in the Gdańsk Bay near Gdynia, which were detonated at a maritime testing range. From 11 to 25 May 2012, the vessel participated in another edition of the Open Spirit exercises off the coast of Estonia, neutralizing two Russian mines. In September, ''Czajka'', ''Mewa'', ''Sokół'', ''Gopło'', ''Śniardwy'', ''Lech'', ', ''Hydrograf'', ''Arctowski'', ', ', ''Poznań'', ''Toruń'', ', ''Bukowo'', ', ', and ''Nakło'' took part in the Polish Armed Forces’ largest annual exercises, Anakonda 12. From 17 January to 5 May 2013, ''Czajka'' operated in the waters of the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the Irish Sea as part of SNMCMG1 for the fourth time, participating in Beneficial Cooperation in the North Sea and Joint Warrior off the coast of Scotland. On June 30, ''Czajka'' took part in a naval parade in Gdynia to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Polish Navy. From 6 to 19 September, the vessel participated in Northern Coast exercises off the coast of Sweden, and from October 28 to November 8, it joined the Steadfast Jazz exercises. On November 1, ORP ''Czajka'' and the entire 13th Minesweeper Squadron were reassigned to the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla. In 2014, ''Czajka'' underwent an extended refit at Gdańsk’s
Remontowa Remontowa (full name: Gdańska Stocznia "Remontowa” im. Józefa Piłsudskiego S.A.) is a company and shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. The yard specialises in ship repair and conversions. ''Remontowa S.''A. is one of 26 companies that make up the Re ...
shipyard and the Polish Navy Shipyard in Gdynia, completed only on 3 March 2016. In June 2016, the vessel, along with 11 other ships, participated in the maritime component of the Polish Armed Forces’ premier exercise, Anakonda 2016. On 17 June 2017, the ship celebrated its 50th anniversary of service in the Polish Navy. In August, ''Czajka'' participated in the Open Spirit 2017 operation off the coast of the Baltic states. From 11 to 13 October 2018, the vessel took part in neutralizing three German GC-type mines near the port entrance in Gdynia. At the end of October, the unit joined the Northern Coast 2018 exercises in Finnish waters. From 2 to 17 May 2019, under the command of Captain Lieutenant Piotr Gorycki, ''Czajka'' participated in Open Spirit 2019 off the coast of Latvia. Under the command of Captain Lieutenant Kacper Sterne, the vessel also joined the 26th edition of these exercises, held from 19 to 29 April 2021 in the waters of the Gulf of Finland and the
Narva Bay The Narva Bay (, ) (also the ''Gulf of Narva'' and the ''Narva Estuary'') is a bay in the southern part of the Gulf of Finland divided between Estonia and Russia. Geography The Kurgalsky Peninsula separates it from the Luga Bay to the east ...
, where the crew located 20 moored mines, destroying six Soviet M-26 non-contact mines. In August, ''Czajka'' participated in the OCEAN (Open Cooperation for European Maritime Awareness) 2020 exercises off the coast of Sweden. By order of the Armed Forces General Command, number 527 of December 2, the ship’s flag was lowered for the last time on 8 December 2021, after more than 54 years of service in the Polish Navy at the Polish Navy Port in Gdynia.


Ship commanders

Sources: * 17 June 1967 – 11 December 1969 – Captain Lieutenant Leopold Balas * 12 December 1968 – 6 April 1971 – Lieutenant Roman Mańko * 7 April 1971 – 28 August 1975 – Lieutenant Waldemar Warszewski * 29 August 1975 – 4 November 1975 – Lieutenant Czesław Mikołajew * 4 November 1975 – 8 September 1977 – Lieutenant Mieczysław Waryszczak * 8 September 1977 – 1 December 1979 – Lieutenant Andrzej Ślosarczyk * 1 December 1979 – 6 April 1981 – Lieutenant Jan Kanturski * 6 April 1981 – 1 March 1982 – Lieutenant Jerzy Karpiński * 1 March 1982 – 11 August 1984 – Lieutenant Mirosław Oniszczuk * 11 August 1984 – 23 December 1985 – Lieutenant Grzegorz Skowroński * 23 December 1985 – 12 February 1988 – Lieutenant Włodzimierz Pacek * 12 February 1988 – 2 January 1991 – Lieutenant Józef Kaczmarski * 2 January 1991 – 16 September 1991 – Lieutenant Bogdan Kasprowicz * 14 July 1992 – 21 January 1994 – Captain Lieutenant Janusz Mrugała * 21 January 1994 – 27 October 1998 – Lieutenant Wiesław Puchalski * 27 October 1998 – 1 January 2002 – Captain Lieutenant Aleksander Gierkowski * 1 January 2002 – 20 August 2003 – Captain Lieutenant Krzysztof Rybak * 20 August 2003 – 1 July 2004 – Captain Lieutenant Piotr Sikora * 1 July 2004 – 1 February 2010 – Captain Lieutenant Jarosław Tuszkowski * 1 February 2010 – 30 June 2015 – Captain Lieutenant Piotr Pasztelan * 1 July 2015 – 18 July 2016 – Captain Lieutenant Tomasz Zuber * 1 August 2016 – 19 September 2019 – Captain Lieutenant Piotr Gorycki * 19 September 2019 – ? Captain Lieutenant Kacper Sterne * ? – 8 December 2021 – Captain Lieutenant Wojciech Zaleski


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Czajka Minesweepers of Poland Polish Navy Projekt 206FM-class minehunters