Unique monuments saved from the Świnoujście-Szczecin waterway

Once again the good cooperation of museum workers and Maritime Office employees has brought about wonderful results. During the works connected with modernisation of the Świnoujście-Szczecin waterway it was possible to find, excavate and, as a result, save from destruction many wonderful and unique monuments, most of which come from the times of World War II and constitute a wonderful heritage of the turbulent history of the region.

We have repeatedly informed you about the successes of the Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg, whose director is Aleksander Ostasz, a well-known and meritorious member of the diving community. The institution under his direction has repeatedly implemented or participated in projects related to the search for and excavation of underwater relics.

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The dredging of the Świnoujście-Szczecin waterway has been going on for over a year and we must admit that during this time we have had a real rash of great finds. In most cases these are items related to military technology, including a fragment of a unique Lützow pocket battleship.

“Recently, by the decision of the Maritime Office in Szczecin and the West Pomeranian Provincial Conservator of Monuments, the collections of the Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg have been enriched with two further testimonies of warfare conducted in the Szczecin area in the late period of World War II. This is a component of the double anti-aircraft gun carriage of the 2.0 cm Flak C/38 and an additional fuel tank from the Kriegs-Fisch-Kutter patrol units. – we can read on the website of the Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg

The findings so far show that the 94 kg Flak anti-aircraft gun base was installed on Kriegsmarine submarines from 1942 with the intention of increasing the anti-aircraft firepower during confrontations with enemy aircraft, which could occur during submergence, e.g. while charging batteries. The found model bears traces of damage probably caused by an explosion. The markings on the discovery made it possible to establish that the weapon was manufactured by the Szczecin-based Hermann Otto Ippen Works.

The second extremely interesting find is the auxiliary tank for the Kriegs-Fisch-Kutter. It was used by patrol vessels of the Kriegs-Fisch-Kutter type, which were structurally based on fishing boats. This had the advantage that they could be built in all German shipyards along the Baltic coast. The main task carried out by the boats was patrolling coastal waters, of particular importance to the Kriegsmarine. After the war many of these vessels were incorporated into the fishing fleet that was being formed in Poland.

Both relics can be viewed at an exhibition prepared by the Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg. The base of the cannon is located in the military department at Emilii Gierczak 5, while the tank is on the grounds of the Kołobrzeg Maritime Heritage Museum at Bałtycka 31.

Appeal

The Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg, which runs Poland’s only Maritime Heritage Museum, invites all persons with information on maritime technology relics that should be placed in Polish museums to cooperate with it. Please contact us by e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] or at tel. 601402400

^{Source and Photo: Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg}