Santi Finding the Eagle expedition postponed until next year

On 28 September 2018, the organisers of the fifth search expedition “Santi Odnaleźć Orła”, aimed at finding the wreck of the legendary Polish submarine “Orzeł”, made the difficult decision to discontinue it and postpone it until next year. It was dictated by terrible weather conditions, which did not allow the start of hydrographic research aimed at verifying the hypothesis that the cause of the sinking of the Polish submarine was a bomb attack by a British aircraft. The expedition was to set off from the Danish port of Thyborøn, on board the vessel M/S “NEMO A”.

The members of the expedition, after arriving in Denmark on 24 September 2018, installed specialised search equipment, provided by the Maritime Institute in Gdansk, on board the chartered naval vessel “Nemo A” and then waited for the weather to improve to allow departure. The plan of the two-week expedition was to search 600 km² of the seabed in the vicinity of the position located over 100 nautical miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, where in June 1940, according to one of the hypotheses, a fratricidal attack by a British aircraft on the Polish submarine “Orzeł” took place. The pilot of the plane, as a result of a mistaken identification of the submarine he spotted, recognized it as an enemy vessel and probably sunk it.

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[blockquote style=”2″]”This year’s expedition has been discontinued and postponed until the second quarter of 2019. It was extremely difficult for us to make this decision, due to the fact that we were perfectly prepared for it. However, the nearly 5-metre waves occurring during the attempt to leave Thyborøn harbour, as well as the dire weather forecast for the next several days, not only did not allow us to start the research, but actually posed a threat to the life and health of the ship’s crew and our team. In this situation, the decision to stop the expedition was the only reasonable solution, and the financial means saved in this way will strengthen the budget of next year’s expedition.” – concluded Tomasz Stachura, the expedition leader and owner of the company “Santi”, which is the titular sponsor of the expedition.[/blockquote]

[blockquote style=”2″]”The week spent in the Danish harbour was not a wasted time for us. It allowed us to strengthen the previously established cooperation with the owner of the local Jutland Battle Museum and at the same time the discoverer of the resting place of fifteen submarines – Gert Normann. In addition, we established contacts with local fishermen, which resulted in acquiring more potential positions, where the wreck of our ship may lie”. – added Dr Hubert Jando, historian and co-organiser of the expedition.[/blockquote]

More about the project:

www.santiodnalezcorla.pl
fb.com/odnalezcorla

SANTI sp. z o.o. – main sponsor of the project:

SANTI is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of diving clothing and equipment. In just a few years, the company from Gdynia has transformed from a local manufacturer of diving suits into a brand with an established position on the global diving equipment market.

The company is present on all continents, selling to nearly 40 countries worldwide, including: the USA, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Brazil and the main European markets. SANTI’s flagship products include dry diving suits and warmers. The company is the originator and the leading manufacturer of diving warming accessories, such as heated gloves or waistcoats.

For several years SANTI has been actively involved in the organisation and support of international research expeditions (e.g. Sedna, Under the Pole, Elysium) and shipwreck explorations around the world. This is how the project “SANTI – Finding the Eagle” was born, a project that aims to find the wreck and finally solve the mystery of the disappearance of the Polish ship.

Partners:

Yellow Cargo Express sp. z o.o. – logistic support
Maritime Institute Gdańsk – hydrographic support

Patronage:

Mayor of the City of Gdynia
Polish Naval Museum in Gdynia
National Geographic

Source: Press release

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