ORP Jaskolka

You can make one of these models to choose from: ORP Jaskółka, ORP Rybitwa, ORP Mewa, ORP Czapla, ORP Żuraw or ORP Czajka.

Historical information

ORP Jaskółka was the lead ship of her class of minelayers in the Polish Navy at the outset of World War II. Jaskółka was sunk during the Nazi invasion of 1939.

Jaskółka was built at Gdynia; launched 11 September 1934; and commissioned 27 August 1935.

On 1 September 1939, Jaskółka under the command of captain Tadeusz Borysiewicz, along with other minelayers, engaged in combat with German aircraft on their way to execute a bombing raid of the Hel Peninsula, in what became known as the Battle of the Gdańsk Bay.

During the battle, sister ship Mewa was damaged. On the night of the 12th, Jaskółka and Czajka fired upon German positions. During the next two days, the same ships installed mines around the Hel peninsula to keep German ships from bombarding the defenders. On 14 September, Jaskółka was sunk after it was hit by a German bomb in the port of Jastarnia.