M/V "Seeburg" could be biggest attraction in Gdansk Bay

Originating from the times of World War II, the M/V “Seeburg” could be one of the most interesting wrecks in the Gulf of Gdansk today. Unfortunately for the diving fraternity, after many difficulties and failures, the wreck measuring almost 170 metres was finally pulled out of the sea! After later renovation in Gdynia Shipyard, it was incorporated into the Polish Ocean Lines. We invite you to read the interesting history of this vessel.

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The ship was ordered by the English Blue Star Line company from the Danish shipyard Burmeister & Wain. Unfortunately for the shipowner, in 1943, when it was completed, Denmark was under German occupation. In such circumstances the ship, then named “Adelaide Star”, was requisitioned by the occupying forces and handed over for use by the Kriegsmarine. After being renamed M/V “Seeburg” and flying the German flag, the general cargo vessel served as a submarine base.

This state of affairs lasted until the first days of December 1944. Searching the sources we can come across two versions of how “Seeburg” went down. The first one suggests that the sinking occurred on December 2, as a result of hitting a mine. The second one, on the other hand, attributes the sinking to the Soviet submarine of the Shchuk class – Shchuk-407. The information on uboat.net suggests that it happened on December 4 at the position 54°39’N, 18°39’E.

In most similar incidents, this is where the story of the sunken vessel ended and a whole new story began. For many reading these words, certainly a much more interesting story of the wreck. Its exploration, documentation, diving, etc. Unfortunately for wreck diving enthusiasts on the Baltic, this time the decision was different. In 1951, after the sunken vessel was located south of Jastarnia, the Polish Salvage Service came into action. The wreck of the M/V “Seeburg” was finally excavated from a depth of 32 metres.

The sunken ship was 169 metres long and 21.4 metres wide. It was powered by two Burmeister & Wain diesel engines with a capacity of 14600 hp. They drove two screws, allowing the ship to develop a speed of 17 knots. The total deadweight of the vessel was 12812 TDW. I don’t know about others, but when I read about the almost 170-metre-long wreck lying at the depth of 32 metres in the Gulf of Gdańsk, I still can’t believe that it was “taken away” from us.

Nevertheless, thanks to a long and arduous battle, the “Seeburg” was recovered and towed to the shipyard. The mission, described as impossible at the time, lasted 3 years. At that time the ship’s working name was also changed to “Jastarnia”. Probably everything German had bad associations with the communist authorities, but the whole operation was to be a huge propaganda success.

When the wreck was finally freed from the bottom in 1954, she was taken to the Paris Commune Shipyard in Gdynia for repairs. After another three years, on 29 June 1957, she was officially incorporated into the Polish Ocean Lines. Probably to emphasise the success of the work carried out from 1951, it was decided to christen the vessel, naming her after one of the greatest communist criminals – Feliks Dzierżyński.

During the service in the Polish Merchant Navy “Dzierżyński” was its biggest ship. It sailed on long voyages on the route Antwerp-Schanghai-Gdynia. It lasted till 1963. As a result of the collision with the sluice in Skald, the ship was seriously damaged and the engine room was flooded. “Dzierżyński” was towed to the shoals of Schelde river, but after a few days the ship broke in half. Eventually the whole ship was cut up and scrapped in Antwerp.

Despite its turbulent and unlucky history and unfortunate demise, something of value remains of this ship. Apart from the propaganda success celebrating the power of the People’s Republic of Poland and the six years of service with the Polish Ocean Lines, a book and a film have survived to this day, detailing the diving operation. An unquestionable piece of diving history by the true pioneers of diving.

The 22-minute video production is certainly something to behold. Nevertheless, can you imagine a 170-metre-long wreck on the bottom of the Bay of Gdańsk today? In recreational limits? Eh this communist era…

Source: diving.biz, wrecksite.eu, plo.com.pl, uboat.net

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