ORP Kujawsk: Memory of the 1942 tragedy

84 years ago, June 16, 1942, ORP KujawiakThe Polish escort destroyer sank at the entrance to Valletta port in Malta. His story is a story of heroism, sacrifice and dramatic struggle to survive in one of the most difficult theatres of World War II.

In the article

Kujawiak, who survived the raids, fought against Italian ships and tried to save damaged HMS BadsworthIt became a symbol of the determination of the Polish Navy. His wreck was only found after 70 years, reminding the world of the heroism of the crew that died, bringing help to others.

Polish ship in Operation Harpoon

In June 1942, the situation of Malta was critical. The island has been under heavy raids and pressure from the maritime blockade of the Axis states for months. Its fall would mean losing one of the most important points of the Allied base on Mediterranean.

The problem was that Malta needed a declaration from the States of the Alliance, but fuel, food, ammunition and military equipment. Therefore, the Royal Navy prepared Operation Harpoon, an attempt to conduct a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta. An ORP was part of the escort force. Kujawiakwho has served under the Polish flag for over a year.

It was a British escort destroyer of type Hunt II, designed primarily to protect convoys and combat aircraft, submarines and smaller enemy submarines.

Four days across the Mediterranean

On June 12, 1942, the convoy left Gibraltar for the Mediterranean Sea. For the first hour, the passage went smoothly, but on June 14, the team was detected by Italian exploratory aviation. From now on, the escort had no rest.

For the following hours, ships and ships were constantly attacked by Italian and German aviation. ORP artillery developers Kujawiak They led an intense anti-aircraft fire. According to the combat participants' report, the ship reported shooting down and damage to enemy aircraft. Parallel crew placed smoke curtains around convoy ships, obstructing their detection and attack from the air.

On the morning of June 15, the threat also came from the sea side. Italian cruisers and destroyers Regia Marina entered the fight. ORP Kujawiak took part in the escort activities also during this clash. Despite the efforts of Allied ships, losses were heavy. Only part of the ships that left Gibraltar reached Malta.

Tragic Night Under Valletta

On the evening of June 15, the surviving convoy ships and escort ships arrived at Malta. Before them there was an entrance to Valletta port through a freshly traversed passage — in theory, the final stage, in practice as dangerous as previous days.

The destroyers of the escorts secured the entrance to the very end, flowing as the last. At one point, HMS came up on the mine. Badsworth — At the time, there were about 120 survivors rescued from the sunken. convoy ships. ORP Kujawiak immediately headed for the damaged destroyer to provide assistance.

A moment later, he stepped on a mine.

The explosion ruptured hull plating thereby leading to violent heelu. The crew fought to keep the ship on the surface, but the situation quickly became hopeless. June 16, 1942, about 1.20 p.m., ORP Kujawiak He sank at the entrance to Valletta. 13 crew members were killed, although some sources indicate the number of 12 dead.

From HMS Oakley to ORP Kujawiak

The ship's history began at Vickers-Armstrong shipyard in High Walker. It was built for the Royal Navy, where it was to receive the name HMS Oakley. Even before the construction was completed, it was handed over to the Navy of Poland. He entered the white and red flag on May 30, 1941.

Within thirteen months of the ORP service Kujawiak escorted convoys in the waters around the UK, covering Allied shipping on Channel La Manche And he was in the Lofoty rally. It is worth noting that Operation Harpoon was his first and only transition to the Mediterranean. It was also the last operation in the history of the ship.

A wreck found after seventy years

For decades, the place of rest of the ORP Kujawiak It remained unknown. Only in 2014 did the Polish-Maltan expedition locate the wreckage at a depth of about 100 metres off the coast of Malta.

Finding the ship has made it possible to better document his final moments and restore his memory of the crew, who diedtrying to save others. ORP Kujawiak He sank almost at the port entrance, after four days of fighting to carry out a convoy one of the most difficult sea routes of World War II.

History of the ORP Kujawiak remains one of those examples of war at sea, in which the fate of the ship was decided not only by orders and operations, but also by the obligation to help others. Therefore, its sinking is not only an episode of Operation Harpoon, but a part of the memory of Polish sailors who did their job to the very end.