Shipbucket

Thank You Mates!
Yeah, me too.
Of course I do! After all, for a quarter of century they were the backbone of PMW's amphibious forces.
I don't know this expression. What does it mean? (since it's written by You, I'm sure it's not offensive, I'm just curious)

Sorry shipmate, local slang, meaning where the real work is done

Ahhh... something like "udarnik" or "stakhanovite", as our Russian brothers say (or "przodownik pracy" or "stachanowiec", as we used to say).

200% work plan in a day. ORP "Kaszub" ex-german V-108 is in WIP stage now, about 50% done. But he is on hold at the moment... why? well this will be a suprise.

_________________

Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!

New year has come, so it's time to add a bit to this thread (although this time it's more text than pictures).

Year 1957 bring reorganization of the 3 BPM, which from that point consisted of:
-Command and Staff unit,
-signals platoon,
-recconaissance platoon
-two infantry companies (each with two infantry platoons, platoon of 82mm recoilless guns, platoon of 107mm recoilless guns and two (?) platoons of 14,5mm AA machine guns),
-training company,
-artillery battery (command platoon, platoon of 120mm mortars, platoon of 85mm anti-tank guns, platoon of 37mm AA guns),
-tank platoon (3 T-34 tanks)
-sapper/engineers platoon,
-quatermaster platoon

That organization lasted for two years and on the 30th of december 1959 3 BPM was merged with 29 Kołobrzeski Batalion Saperów (29th Sapper Batallion "of Kołobrzeg") to form 3 Pułk Piechoty Morskiej (3rd Marine Infantry Regiment), still stationed in Dziwnów.
Organizational structure of the new unit was as follows:
-Command and Staff unit,
-marine infantry batallion,
-marine sappers batallion (former 29th Sapper Batallion, tasked mostly with defensive mine-laying and mine-clearance operations),
-tank company,
-training company,
-regimental artillery (command platoon, platoon of 120mm mortars, platoon of 85mm anti-tank guns, platoon of 82mm recoilless guns),
-anti-aircraft artillery battery,
-reconnaissance platoon,
-quatermaster platoon,
-medical detachment,
-regimental workshops.

It's planned structure upon mobilization was to be somewhat different:
-Command and Staff unit,
-three marine infantry batallions,
-tank company
-reconnaissance company
-regimental artillery (battery of 120mm mortars, battery of 85mm anti-tank guns, battery of 82mm recoilless guns),
-anti-aircraft artillery batallion,
-sapper company,
-signals company,
-NBC protection platoon,
-flamethrowers platoon,
-quatermaster company,
-security platoon.
Planned strength was: 192 officers, 434 NCO's and 1755 marines: total 2381.
Wartime equipment was to consist of: 16 T-34/85 tanks, 10 PTG transporters, 63 recoilless guns, 6 120mm mortars, 6 85mm D-44 guns, 24 14,5mm AA machine-guns, 6 37mm AA guns.

It should be mentioned that 3 BPM/PPM was not the only land unit in the Polish Armed Forces related to the marine assault operations in the 1950s. These other units were coastal-defence formations.
Succesful US landing at Inchon during the Korean war prompted militaries of the Soviet-bloc countries to undertake preparations against potential assaults on their own territories. In Poland during 1951 three coastal defence units were formed in the Pomorski Okręg Wojskowy (Pomeranian Military District):
-2 Brygada Przeciwdesantowa (2 BPdes, 2nd Anti-Landing Brigade) in Kamień Pomorski,
-3 Brygada Przeciwdesantowa (3 BPdes, 3rd Anti-Landing Brigade) in Kołobrzeg,
-5 Brygada Przeciwdesantowa (5 BPdes, 5th Anti-Landing Brigade) in Gdańsk,

Each of these brigades (which were to be upgraded to divisions during wartime) consisted of:
-Command and Staff unit,
-signals company,
-two anti-landing (infantry) batallions (2 BPdes - 11th in Świnoujście and 14th in Kamień Pomorski, 3 BPdes - 15th and 18th in Kołobrzeg, 5 BPdes - 12th in Hel and 18th in Gdańsk)
-artillery batallion (2 BPdes - 46th in Dziwnów, 3 BPdes - 54th in Kołobrzeg?, 5 BPdes - 60th in Gdańsk)
-120mm mortar battery,
-AAA battery,
-sapper company,
-recconaissance platoon,
-NBC protection platoon.
In june 1953 an umbrella formation to command these three brigades was formed: Korpus Przeciwdesantowy (Anti-Landing Corps) with headquarters in Bydgoszcz, however only after several months, in december 1953 it was reformed into Inspektorat Przeciwdesantowy Pomorskiego Okręgu Wojskowego (Anti-landing Inspectorate of the Pomeranian Military District).
Strength of the Korpus Przeciwdesantowy during its brief existence was: 4619 officers and soldiers, 162 anti-tank rifles, 36 82mm mortars, 33 120mm mortars, 39 45mm anti-tank guns, 15 57mm anti-tank guns, 27 76mm field, guns, 42 122mm howitzers, 18 85mm AA guns.

In the october 1956 2 Brygada Przeciwdesantowa was disbanded and two remaining brigades were renamed 3 and 5 Brygada Obrony Wybrzeża (BOW, Coastal Defence Brigade) respectively and strenghtened with elements from the disbanded brigade.

Two years later, in the autumn of 1958 it was decided that 3 and 5 BOW, together with several smaller units are to form an unified division-formation - 23 Dywizja Piechoty (23 DP, 23rd Infantry Division), consisting of:
-Command and Staff in Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz,
-34 Budziszyński Pułk Piechoty (34rd Infantry Regiment "of Bautzen") in Słupsk,
-76 Pułk Piechoty (76th Infantry Regiment) in Gdańsk,
-79 Pomorski Pułk Piechoty (79th Infantry Regiemnt "of Pomerania") in Lębork,
-41 Gdański Pułk Artylerii (41st Artillery Regiment "of Gdańsk") in Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz,
-11 Batalion Czołgów Średnich (11th Medium Tank Batallion) in Słupsk,
-93 Dywizjon Artylerii Przeciwpancernej (93rd Anti-Tank Artillery Batallion) in Kwidzyń,
-29 Dywizjon Artylerii Przeciwlotniczej (29th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Batallion) in Gdańsk,
-58 Batalion Saperów (58th Engineers Batallion) in Hel and from 1960 in Brodnica,
-37 Batalion Łączności (37th Signals Batallion) in Gdańsk,
-52 Kompania Rozpoznawcza (52nd Reconnaissance Company) in Lębork,
-54 Kompania Obrony Przeciwchemicznej (54th NBC Protection Company) in Brodnica,
-63 Kompania Samochodowa (63rd Transportation Company) in Gdańsk
-divisional workshops and depots in Gdańsk and Lębork.

In the late 1950s and 1960s numerical strength of Flotylla Środków Desantowych was rapidly dwindling. As a remedy new landing ships and craft were ordered. First of these were 15 small landing craft (cutters) of Pr. 709 Sztorm class (NATO code: Eichstaden). They entered service between 1962 and 1965, in late 1960s they were extensively rebuilt (with, among others, open compartment for landing party being covered by roof with hatches) and were decommissioned from 1987 to 1990.

It took me a loooong time to update this thread.

According to war plans of the Warsaw Pact, Polish forces were to operate along the Baltic coast with the main push towards Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark. Since it's largely island country, significant marine assault forces were needed. To achieve that the 23 Dywizja Piechoty was reorganized in early 1963 into 23 Dywizja Desantowa (23 DDes, 23rd Landing Division). It wasn't very deep reorganization though - essentially it was limited to adding the 3 Pułk Piechoty Morskiej - renamed 93 Pułk Desantowy (93 PDes, 93rd Landing Regiment) and renaming 76 Pułk Piechoty into 76 Pułk Desantowy with rest of the formation remaining the same.

The 23 DDes was short lived unit - already on 8 october 1963 it was renamed into 7 Łużycka Dywizja Desantowa (7 DDes or 7 ŁDDes - 7th Lusatian Landing Division) with headquarters at Gdańsk. Initially its subordinate units were the same as in 23 DDes, but because they were spread on rather large area, the major reshuffle followed (resulting in all division being gathered in Eastern and Central Pomerania), accompanied by renaming of units and reequipment with amphibious-capable vehicles like PT-76 light tanks or TOPAS armored personnel carriers.

Also the grouping of the landing ships underwent reorganization. On 31 january 1965 Flotylla Środków Desantowych was renamed into 2 Brygada Okrętów Desantowych (2 BOD, 2nd Landing Ships Brigade). At the same time whole Polish Navy was being reorganized, which involved, among others, creation of three flotillas - 3 Flotylla Okrętów (3 FO, 3rd Warship Flotilla) in Gdynia, 8 Flotylla Obrony Wybrzeża (8 FOW, 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla) in Świnoujście and 9 Flotylla Obrony Wybrzeża (9 FOW) at Hel. 3 FO was Navy's main striking force with submarines, destroyers, torpedo and missile boats, while 8 and 9 FOW were composed of submarine chasers and mine-warfare ships. Additionaly, subordinated to all flotillas were their bases, support ship squadrons and security units, while each of FOW's had also a batallion of anti-aircraft artillery and batallion of engineers. Although 2 BOD was basically a part of Navy's "main force", for geographical reasons it was subordinated to 8 FOW due to it's westernmost location. Brigade was composed of 2 squadrons of landing ships and 1 squadron of landing cutters. That last unit (Dywizjon Kutrów Desantowych) was initially equipped with 15 Pr.709 boats.

In the late 1950s it was obvious that vessels used by the Flotylla Środków Desantowych are badly needing replacement. In 1957 Centralne Biuro Konstrukcji Okrętowych Nr 2 (CBKO-2, Central Bureau of Ship Construction No. 2) received order for a design of medium landing ship. First project was presented in january 1958 and besides the acceptance from the Navy, it also met with great interest from Soviet Union that gave it their support and order for the series of ships. In 1959 finished design was officialy given project number "770D" and shortly after the building commenced, with first ship being launched on 22 september 1962. Soon modified versions followed: "770M" and "770MA" with modified superstructure and mast, as well as some internal differences. In NATO code these ships were named "Polnocny-A".

Polish Navy purchased 9 ships of the Project 770D, commissioned between 30 november 1963 and 31 may 1965. Between 1971 and 1974 they were all modernized by adding second AK-230 gun and new mast (being therefore renamed Pr.770D/U). Sometime later at least some of them apparently received new superstructures, similar to those on later versions of the ships. Also, in 1980s stations for 9K32 Strela-2 MANPADS were added (in front of superstructure). All ships of Pr.770D type were decommissioned between 16 october 1989 and 20 january 1991, being either sold to civilian operators as transport ships/ferries, or scrapped.




In addition to 9 Pr.770D ships, Polish Navy acquired also 2 ships of the Pr.770MA type, both commissioned on 8 january 1967. Like the earlier ships, in early 1970s they received second AK-230 gun and in 1980s stations for 9K32 MANPADS, but located on the superstructure, below the mast and next to the smokestack (which was heightened). Both ships were decommissioned on 1 september 1990.



Ships of the Pr.700 type formed 1 Dywizjon Okrętów Desantowych (1 DOD, 1st Squadron of Landing Ships) in the 2 BOD. They were named after important Polish rivers (within post-1945 borders), crossed by the Polish People's Army on it's battle trail 1943-1945, with the exception of Oka (in the Soviet Union) along which, in the vincinity of the city Sielce nad Oką (Sielce on Oka) first units of that army were formed in 1943.

Majority of the production run of Pr.770 was for Soviet Navy. It received 6 ships of the Pr.770D, 4 ships of the Pr.770T (tropical variant of Pr.770D with heating replaced by air-conditioning), 4 ships of the Pr.770M and 21 ships of the Pr.770MA type. During their service they underwent various modifications, similar to those on Polish ships, although usually with just one AK-230 gun. Some of these ships were later transferred to other countries, however sources disagree on details.
According to an article by Jarosław Ciślak Okręty desantowe projektów 770/771/773/776 in Morza, Statki i Okręty, no. 3/1998, only ships of the Pr.770 type that were re-exported from Soviet Union was one Pr.770D transferred to Somalia, one Pr.770T to Indonesia, which was later transferred to India and one Pr.770T directly to India (these two Indian ships were named: Gharial - L12 and Guldar - L13). Also, after the break-up of Soviet Union Azerbaijan ended up with 3 ships.
According to website russian-ships.info, 2 ships were transferred to Bulgaria, 3 to Vietnam, 2 to India, 1 to Indonesia, 1 to Somalia, 3 to Syria, 3 to South Yemen and 1 to Vietnam. Plus those three to Azerbaijan post-1991. It should be noted, however, that according to Ciślak most of these ships were of Pr.771 type, and russian-ships.info gives confusing number of Pr.770's used by Polish Navy (lists all ships, but gives wrong total number).

*nosebleed*

Lol, thanks!

Your Pr.709 gived me an idea of modifying some US Landing crafts RHN (AU) had in Cold War period.My favorit Polish landing ship is the Lublin Class,she has such a unique look.

The 'bucket machine strike again, Eswube the Indefatigable!

_________________

Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!