The ORP Mewa (Seagull) is Poland’s third minehunter of the Kormoran II (Cormorant 2) type, the PAP news agency reported.
The launch ceremony took place in Poland’s northern port of Gdynia on Tuesday, with a host of state and local officials, soldiers and residents in attendance, according to news reports.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak both issued special letters to mark the Mewa’s launch. Their messages were read out during the event.
The president said that "the Polish Navy has gained several new vessels in recent years," adding that "ships flying the Polish flag fulfil not just military, but also diplomatic tasks.”
Duda added: “Furthering Poland’s naval interests, also on the international stage, is an important part of the mission of the Polish Navy.”
Meanwhile, Błaszczak wrote in his message that "Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has highlighted the importance of the security of the Polish coast, critical infrastructure and freedom of navigation.”
Błaszczak added: “A modern navy, capable of carrying out various missions, whether in peacetime, during a crisis or in wartime, is essential for ensuring security.”
He stressed that all three new Polish minehunters had been produced in a shipyard in the Baltic port of Gdańsk, the PAP news agency reported.
Minehunters
The Mewa is the third minehunter of its type to be supplied to the Polish navy, after the Cormorant II in 2017 and the Albatross in November last year, according to officials.
With a displacement of 850 tonnes, minimum range of 2,500 nautical miles and top speed of over 15 knots, the 58-metre-long ships are intended to locate and neutralise naval mines, including through underwater drones, officials said.
They are also designed to offer anti-mine protection to other vessels in Polish waters and as part of tactical groups in the Baltic and North Seas, among other tasks.
The minehunters can also plant their own mines, the PAP news agency reported.
Last year, Poland ordered the construction of three new such minehunters, slated for delivery in 2026-2027, to help safeguard the Polish coast in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tuesday was day 356 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, wojsko-polskie.pl