Wreaths were laid at the plaque commemorating the sailors of ORP "Kujawiak"

On a working visit to Malta, Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz laid a wreath today at the plaque commemorating Polish sailors from the ORP “Kujawiak” ship who died off the coast of Malta on the night of 15-16 June 1942. The plaque is located in the Upper Baracks Gardens towering over the Grand Harbour.

On 22 September 2014, the Polish expedition “The Hunt for L72″ located and identified the wreck of the Polish destroyer ORP “Kujawiak”. On 16 June 1942, the vessel sank off the coast of Malta, where she was on escort duty. While protecting one of the transports, the L-72 ran into a mine and went down. On that day 13 Polish seamen lost their lives.

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The third expedition to the wreck of the Polish escort destroyer L-72, also known as ORP “Kujawiak”, ended with an unquestionable success. During the international expedition the members of the Shipwreck Expeditions association managed to find the ship’s bell, which was one of the main objectives of the expedition. According to the members of the expedition, after obtaining appropriate permissions, the bell will be excavated and handed over to the Maritime Museum in La Valletta.

During her short service, “Kujawiak” participated in missions in the Bristol Channel and the English Channel. The last wartime touch before sinking was the big operation “Harpoon”, during which she escorted supplies to Malta.

The keel for ORP “Kujawiak” was laid on 22 November 1939 in the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard, High Walker, Tyne. The Hunt II type destroyer was originally planned to enter service with the Royal Navy as HMS “Oakley”. The situation changed when the Polish government placed on 4 September 1939. Order for 18 ships of this type. “Kujawiak” was one of the three, from this order, that went to our Navy.

Photo: Adam Horbowski