The collection of the Naval Museum (MMW) in Gdynia was enriched with priceless relics related to the war legend and the mystery of ORP Orzeł including the original military flag and the uniform of the deputy commander of the ship, Naval Lieutenant Andrzej Piasecki.

It was Andrzej Piasecki who initiated the ship’s successful escape from internment in Tallinn on September 18, 1939, and thanks to organized sabotage, he made it impossible to completely disarm the submarine, keeping 6 torpedoes on the ship.

After Henryk Kłoczkowski descended in Tallinn and Captain Jan Grudziński was in charge, Piasecki was promoted to his deputy. Approved for function after the ship reached Great Britain, Piasecki participated in all Orzel combat patrols. He died along with the entire crew during the sixth patrol in the waters of the North Sea.

The uniform, sewn before the war in the renowned Gdynia company of Kazimierz Balcerowicz, at the end of the 1970s was handed over by the family (widow Krystyna and son of Marek Piasecki) to Jerzy Pertek, the author of the book “Great days of a small fleet”, which is devoted to the history of the Polish Navy in the World War II.

The intention of the family was to place the uniform and the flag in the Naval Museum when its final seat was built. Until then, Jerzy Pertek deposited Andrzej Piasecki’s flag and uniform at the Military Museum in Poznań, where it was displayed at the permanent exhibition.

Thanks to the cooperation of both museums, Piasecki’s uniform as well as the historic ORP Orzeł military flag returned to Gdynia after 83 years, in accordance with the will of the heirs of Lieutenant Andrzej Piasecki.

Adrian Andrzejewski