Will they find the wreck of the ORP Orzeł submarine?

Last month we wrote about the “Finding the Eagle” campaign. Its organisers focus on conducting research to determine the location of the wreck of the legendary Polish vessel. We did not have to wait long for the electronic media to overflow with new information about the possible location of the wreck.

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This time it is about the results of work by Polish and British hydrographers. Is it possible that one of the biggest mysteries in the history of the Polish fleet will finally be explained? The answer to this question will be sought by the research crew of the ORP Lech vessel, which is exploring the area of the North Sea.

Earlier, thanks to the help of the British, Poland received important information that helped to pinpoint the likely resting place of the ship. A Polish mine destroyer ORP Czajka, returning from Belfast, had made a more detailed examination of one of the positions.

Using an ROV vehicle, the crew managed to film the wreck at a depth of about 70m. The collected material allows concluding that the wreck, both in its length as well as some of its characteristics, corresponds to the appearance of the ORP Orzeł ship.

Today – 6.06.2013 – another part of the research of the object was started by the ORP Lech crew, who will spend 3 days collecting information on the wreck. The whole undertaking has been divided into several stages which will allow maximum utilisation of the time allocated for the expedition.

In the first phase, a probe would be used to pinpoint the object and anchor it in the best possible position for the research vessel. In a later phase, another probe and two ROVs, Seaeye Falcon and Seabotix, will be launched. These will collect detailed video footage for further analysis.

In the final phase, a diving bell will be sent to the bottom with a crew that will be able to explore the area within a radius of 23-30m for 30min. This will not be an easy task, however, as the situation may be complicated by strong currents in addition to the considerable depth, as well as by the broken fishing nets that wrap the wreck in a dense web.

Will we soon be able to learn the fate of the lost ship? Let us hope that further chapters in the history of ORP Orzeł will soon be written.

Source: polska-zbrojna.pl