At the outbreak of hostilities on September 1, 1939, the submarine force of the Polish Navy consisted of five subs. Two were ocean going attack submarines built and designed in the Netherlands with the assistance of Polish engineers. The remaining three were French built mine laying submarines. The two attack submarines were ‘Orzel’ [Eagle] class, named O.R.P. [Ship of the Polish Republic] ORZEL and ORP SEP [Vulture.] The three mine laying subs were the ORP RYS [Lynx], ORP ZBIK [Bobcat], and ORP WILK [Wolf].

In January 1941 and October 1942, the Royal Navy transferred two U-class submarines to the Polish Navy, ORP SOKOL [Falcon] and ORP DZIK [Wild boar]. In November 1941, the United States-built USS S-25 S-class submarine was also transferred and renamed ORP JASTRZAB [Hawk].

Specifications for Orzel class submarines SEP and ORZEL:

Length: 84m – 257’
Beam: 6.7m – 21’
Draft: 4.17m – 13.5’
Displacement: 1,100/1,473.5 tons
Power: [diesel] 4,740 bhp Two 6-cylinder diesel engines made by SULZER
Power: [electric] 1,100 shp 100 cells Two electric motors made by BROWN-BOVERI
Speed: [diesel] 20 knots
Speed: [electric] 9 knots
Tubes: [fwd] four 21.7 inch
Tubes: [aft] four 21.7 inch
Tubes: [amidships] four 21.7 inch in a external rotating mount in upper casing [tubes fitted with liners to take 21-inch torpedoes]
20 torpedoes, including 8 reloads
Guns: One 105mm/41 BOFORS deck gun, One twin 40mm BOFORS anti-aircraft gun located in a retracted vertical watertight compartment in the after part of the conning tower. This Polish innovation allowed the gun crew to be at battle station and ready to fire immediately upon surfacing.
Depth of Dive: 100m – 328’
Crew: 6 officers, 58 men
Misc.: Welded double hull, pressure hull divided into five watertight compartments, frames on outside of pressure hull allowed more space inside. Steering, diving planes, ballast tank vents, hatches, etc. operated hydraulically.

More Submarines of the Polish Navy [Polska Marynaka Wajenna]

Introduction
Orp Orzel with Polish Navy
Orp Orzel with British Royal Navy