Ukrainian Warship In-built Poland Participating the Russians

Again within the Nineteen Sixties, the Polish Westerplatte Heroes Northern Shipyard in Gdansk (presently often known as Remontowa Shipbuilding S.A.), launched a collection manufacturing of medium dimension touchdown ships for the USSR and Polish Navies. They had been being in-built Gdansk till 1973, in collection as follows:

• 15 – Undertaking 770D;
• 4 – Undertaking 770M;
• 4 – Undertaking 770T;
• 23 – Undertaking 770MA;
• 19 – Undertaking 771;
• 17 – Undertaking 771A;
• 8 – Undertaking 773;
• 1 touchdown Undertaking 776 operation command vessel.

23 of these warships had been commissioned within the Polish Navy (Tasks 770, 771, 776), whereas the remaining ones had been acquired by the USSR. Most of the vessels manufactured for the USSR had been afterward acquired by different, befriended nations.

When the manufacturing had come to an finish in Gdansk, export manufacturing was launched on the Polish Navy Shipyard in Gdynia. One other 17 vessels had been constructed there:

• 4 – Undertaking 773I – for India;
• 4 – Undertaking 773IM – for India;
• 4 – Undertaking 773K – for Iraq;
• 4 – Undertaking 773KL – for Libya;
• 1 – Undertaking NS-717 – for Yemen.

108 touchdown ships as such had been in-built Poland in whole, which implies that this is without doubt one of the longest collection of touchdown vessels constructed, ever since WW2. Because the Northern Shipyard (Stocznia Północna) was the primary manufacturing entity, the vessels have acquired the NATO Codename Polnocny class.

Within the early Nineteen Nineties, the rest of Polnocny-class touchdown ships had been being decommissioned within the USSR. When the Black Sea Fleet was being divided between Ukraine and Russia, solely two Undertaking 773 vessels remained there – SDK-82 and SDK-137. Primarily based on the memorandum concluded on twenty eighth Could 1997, the SDK-82 was transferred to the Russian Navy, whereas SDK-137 was acquired by the Ukrainians.

SDK-137 was in-built Gdansk, with a 773/2 shipyard designation. The keel was laid on twenty first April 1970, and it was launched on thirty first December 1970. It was in the end handed off to the USSR Navy on thirty first Could 1971, following a tethered trials and sea trials programme, previous the conclusion of the handing off act. After the Soviet flag was raised on it, the vessel has at all times been part of the Black Sea Fleet. The SDK-137 designation was secret – the tactical numbers it wore modified incessantly: 365, 378, 369, 366, 370.

After being taken over by Ukraine it acquired the identify Kirovohrad (Кіровоград) and U 401 designation. It turned part of the fifth Floor Warships Brigade. Initially, all the Ukrainian Navy vessels acquired tactical designations beginning with the letter U, for fast ID. In 2018 the system was modified to at least one just like the designations utilized by many countries. The quantity was modified to L401. The ship had additionally been renamed. Following a Presidential Decree no. 290/2016, issued on third July 2006, the ship was named Yuriy Olefirenko (Юрій Олефіренко). Commander Yuriy Olefirenko served first within the Soviet, then within the Ukrainian Army. Between 2014 and 2015 he commanded the Ukrainian 73rd Naval Particular Operations Middle. He was declared KIA on sixteenth January 2015, throughout an operation going down in occupied Donetsk. He used his personal physique to separate his troopers from mortar bomb fragmentation.

Regardless of its outdated age, the ship in-built Poland remains to be in operation in 2022, collaborating in yet one more part of the Russian-Ukrainian warfare. The film clip showcased exhibits salvos of 140 mm unguided rockets, being launched from the L401. All Undertaking 770, 771, and 773 vessels in-built Gdansk acquired 2 WM-18, or WM-18A rocket launchers, additionally designed in Poland. These launchers had been designed to offer rocket artillery help for the touchdown models.

The brand new system, designed particularly for the Polnocny-class vessels was designed between the Fifties and Nineteen Sixties. M-14-OF HE rockets got here straight from the Soviet BM-14 system. The WM-18 (Naval Launcher, 18 rockets) launcher was designed on the Navy Institute of Armament Know-how. The WM-18/WM-18A launchers had been then manufactured at HSW and the WSK Warszawa-II services. The reloading course of was executed manually, with the involvement {of electrical} transporters, bringing 3 rockets up in a single go. After manually loading the launcher, the rocket crew of two sailors moved to the launcher room, underneath the primary deck, to purpose it. One of many sailors handled elevation, whereas the opposite dealt with the goal bearing. The open command station for the WM-18 launcher, with sight, is situated on the open deck, above the superstructure’s second degree. The ammunition storage was spacious sufficient to accommodate as much as 180 M-14-OF rockets, sufficient for 5 full launcher runs.

WM-18A launcher specification sheet:

• Amount of barrels: 18
• Rocket spherical sort: M-14-OF (HE)
• Rocket calibre: 140.4 mm
• Barrel size: 1,370 mm
• Most vary: 9,810 m
• Most velocity of the rocket: 400 m/s
• Rocket size: 1,085 mm
• projectile weight: 39.6 kg
• Launcher weight, dry: 1,475 kg
• Max. elevation angle: + 60 °
• Min. elevation angle: – 15°

The fight operations involving a 51-year-old medium touchdown ship in-built Poland, at Stocznia Polnocna in Gdansk, together with the rocket launch involving launchers manufactured at HSW represent an excellent testimonial for the Polish designers, shipbuilders, and trade practitioners. Above all, nevertheless, it’s a true expression of the valour of the Ukrainian sailors.