Orp Seagull on NATO mission. A semi-annual test of the Polish destroyer min

ORP Seagull He began his first such mission from entering the service. The Polish mine destroyer Kormoran II came out of Gdynia on a six-month shift in NATO SNMCMG-1's permanent antimine team. For the next months, this vessel will operate in the Baltic, North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Atlantic.

Farewell in Gdynia and the beginning of the shift

The ship's farewell celebration was held on 1 July in Gdynia. For six months on duty in NATO forces were assigned a crew separated from 13th Trooper Squadron 8th Coast Defence Fleet. The sailors will perform tasks within the Polish military contingent Kormoran 2026, acting in the composition of the NATO SNMCMG-1 permanent mine team.

The plan includes operations and exercises in the Baltic, North Sea, Norwegian Sea and Atlantic. These are vital waters for the navigation, protection of the undersea infrastructure and security of the northern flank of NATO.

Poland maintains presence in SNMCMG- 1

Mission ORP Seagull is a continuation of Polish presence in allied mine forces. In the first half of the year, the SNMCMG-1 structures operated ORP Rear Admiral Xavery CzernickiAs a command ship. Now the site of the staff platform is occupied by the mine destroyer, a ship intended directly for the exploration, identification and neutralization of dangerous underwater objects.

This is an important change because Poland shows in the NATO team various capabilities of the Polish Navy: from command and security of operations to appropriate mine-based activities. In practice, this means checking the crew, ship systems and procedures in a multi-national environment, where it is not the presence that counts but the ability to work according to common standards.

Why the Mine Mission Is Special Today

Antiminal measures are crucial for maritime safety, although they rarely penetrate mainstream information on a daily basis. Seamines and other dangerous underwater facilities can reduce ship traffic, close approaches to ports or hinder the use of important transport routes.

The problem in the Baltic is particularly important, because mines, air bombs and ammunition from World War I and World War II are still on the bottom. Therefore, the participation of the Polish mine destroyer in SNMCMG-1 is not only an allied on-call, but also a practical examination of the crew and ship in tasks that directly affect the safety of navigation.

First Cormoran under NATO flag

ORP Seagull is the third Kormoran II type mine destroyer, after the ORP Cormoran and ORP Albatros. He entered service on 14 February 2023 and has since remained in the lineup of 13. Trooper Squadron in Gdynia. Now for the first time this type of ship will be doing tasks in the NATO permanent team for several months.

This is an important moment for the entire Kormoran II program. The ships of this series were built with a view to activities in the Baltic and North Sea, i.e. on difficult, shallow, saturated waters of commercial and historical traffic. mine hazard. Their tasks include the search, classification, identification and destruction of marine mines and other dangerous underwater objects.

The SNMCMG-1 division will show how Kormoran II works outside the national training system and current tasks. For the crew, this means a long-term operation in an international team of ships, participation in exercises, entry to allied ports and daily work according to NATO procedures.

Testing for Polish shipbuilding industry

The mission also has an industrial dimension. Kormoran II is one of the most important ship programs implemented in Poland after 1989. Ships formed in a consortium involving Shipbuilding Repair, the PGZ of the Naval Shipyard and the Research and Development Centre of the Marine Technology Centre. It is these programs that build competences which cannot be reproduced only by buying ready ships abroad.

The exit of the Polish destroyer min to SNMCMG-1 gives industry an argument stronger than a promotional folder. The ship will be assessed in practice: during maritime activities, working with allies, using on-board systems and maintaining readiness for several months. If the mission goes as planned, Kormoran II will gain further proof that it is a construct capable of action not only in the national area of responsibility but also in the permanent forces of NATO.

This does not automatically mean export success. The mine ship market is narrow, competitive and strongly linked to the industrial policy of the purchasing countries. However, real service in the NATO team is for the Polish construction much more convincing confirmation of possibilities than the manufacturer's declaration itself.

Six Kormoran II type mine destroyers for the Navy

Polish Navy RP is expected to receive six mines destroyers of type Kormoran II. The first three serve in Gdynia, while the next three are to power the 12th Woliński Trałownik Division in Świnoujście. This is important in terms of the equal protection of the Polish coast and the maintenance of mine capabilities both in the central and western sections of the Baltic.

In the coming years, ships of this type will form the basis of Polish mine forces. The current duty at SNMCMG-1 is therefore more than the first foreign mission of one ship. This is the beginning of an allied phase of service for our entire Cormorans family.