The exhibition was prepared by the IPN Branch in Poznań as part of the IPN international educational and historical project “Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom”
The stands depict the dramatic and inspiring history of the legendary submarine ORP “Orzeł”. The ship was built thanks to the support of the Maritime and Colonial League. It arrived in Poland shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War in February 1939. After participating in the September campaign, the vessel was interned in Tallinn. The crew of the ship, without maps or official orders, made a daring decision to escape. Despite extremely difficult conditions, they reached Great Britain to continue fighting alongside the Allies.
In 1940, the ORP “Orzeł” set sail on its last combat mission. It disappeared without a trace. The wreck of the ship has not been found to this day.
This is a story that has yet to be fully explained. We do not know exactly what happened during the Orzeł's last cruise in 1940. The truth is still waiting to be discovered, but it is already part of our identity, said Marek Szymaniak, Ph.D., Director of the IPN Branch in Gdańsk.
The exhibition at the Pomeranian Quay in Gdynia is not only a sentimental journey through time. It is above all an invitation to reflect on the value of freedom and the price that had to be paid for it. It is also a tribute to the ship's crew, whose story moves and inspires subsequent generations.
The Director of the IPN Branch in Poznań Rafał Reczek, Ph.D. emphasized: The story of ORP Orzeł is a ready-made screenplay for a film. Escaping from internment without maps, without full navigation, but with enormous determination and courage is a story of sacrifice and of lives given up for the homeland.
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The ORP “Orzeł” was built in the Netherlands and launched in 1938. When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, “Orzeł” was at sea, far from safe harbor. Hunted by enemy forces and cut off from command, the crew had to rely on their own courage and instinct. Facing a failing captain and worsening health conditions onboard, a young executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Jan Grudziński, took charge.
Knowing they could not return to German-occupied Poland, they sought refuge in neutral Estonia, docking in Tallinn. But the German and Soviet embassies pressured Estonian authorities to intern the Polish vessel. Estonian guards boarded, maps were seized, weapons removed — “Orzeł” was meant to be imprisoned.
But in a daring escape under the cover of night on 17 September 1939, the crew overpowered the guards, repaired their navigation using only memory and the stars, and slipped into the Baltic Sea. Chased by Soviet and German ships, hunted across treacherous waters, “Orzeł” vanished into legend — and reappeared weeks later in Scotland, stunning the world.
Now under British command but proudly flying the Polish naval ensign, ORP “Orzeł” continued the fight. She patrolled the North Sea, sank enemy transports, and proved the spirit of Poland was unbreakable.
In June 1940, during one final mission, ORP Orzeł disappeared without a trace. No distress signal. No wreckage. Just silence.
But her story did not end there. She became a symbol — of resilience, bravery, and a nation's hope. To this day, the ORP “Orzeł” is remembered not only as a submarine, but as the soul of a free Poland, gliding silent and proud beneath the waves.
More information about the project “Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom” is available at: https://szlakinadziei.ipn.gov.pl/sne