ORP Mewa (1935)

ORP Mewa, in 1937
History
Poland
Name	ORP Mewa ("seagull")
Builder	Stocznia Gdyńska, Gdynia
Launched	10 January 1935
Fate	Sunk 3 September 1939, later raised
General characteristics
Class and type	Jaskółka-class minesweeper
Displacement	183 t standard
Length	45 m (147 ft 8 in)
Beam	5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
Propulsion	2 x diesel engines, 1,050 hp (780 kW) total
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)
Armament	1 x 75 mm gun 2 x 7.92mm machine guns 20 mines or 20 depth charges

ORP Mewa (Polish for "seagull") was a Jaskółka-class minesweeper of the Polish Navy at the outset of World War II. Mewa participated in the defense of Poland during the German invasion of 1939. The ship was damaged on 1 September 1939 by a German bomb. On 3 September she was again hit by bombs and sank. The ship was later refloated and captured by the Germans. After the war, she returned to serve under the Polish flag.

Bibliography

• Twardowski, Marek & Lemachko, Boris (1980). "Germany". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.