ORP Sęp

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ORP Orzeł, 1939
ORP Orzeł, sister ship of ORP Sęp, as in 1939
Career (Poland) Naval Ensign of Poland
Name: ORP Sęp
Laid down: November 1936
Launched: 17 October 1938
Commissioned: 16 April 1939
Decommissioned: 15 September 1969
Fate: scrapped
General characteristics
Displacement: 1,100 t., surfaced
1,437 t., submerged
Length: 84 m (275 ft 7 in)
Beam: 6.7 m (21 ft 12 in)
Draft: 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Speed: 19.4 knots (35.9 km/h/22.3 mph), surfaced
9.0 knots (16.7 km/h/10.4 mph), submerged
Complement: 50-53
Armament: 1 × 105 mm (4.1 in)
2 × 40 mm (1.6 in) AA guns
8 × 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes

ORP Sęp was a Orzeł-class submarine serving in the Polish Navy during World War II. Built at the Dutch shipyard Rotterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij, she was laid down in November 1936, launched on 17 October 1938, and commissioned on 16 April 1939. In Polish her name means Vulture.

Sęp sailed into the naval port of Hel only a day before the war started. On 2 September she attacked a German destroyer with a single torpedo to no avail. On 3 September she was attacked en route to Gotland Island, with some damage to the engines and the conning tower. She was attacked again on the 4th, sustaining additional damage to the engines. By then she also started taking on water, making the submarine "heavy" and very difficult to manoeuver. The original plan to go to England was now deemed to be impossible and the decision was taken to proceed to neutral Sweden, which would be tricky by itself considering the extensive damage to the boat. On 14 September, Sęp eventually reached Sweden and was interned.

On the 24 October 1945, Sęp was returned to the Polish Navy were she served as a training sub until she was decommissioned on 15 September 1969 and subsequently scrapped in 1972.

105 mm gun from ORP Sęp displayed in the Polish Army Museum
105 mm gun from ORP Sęp displayed in the Polish Army Museum
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