TRANSPORTOWIEC TOBRUK ORAZ PATROLOWCE MEDOC I CH 11

Tobruk was a Polish transport ship, built in Great Britain during the Second World War. The unit entered service under the Polish flag in early 1942 . The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 136 meters and a width of 17.3 meters. The capacity was around 7,050 GRT and the maximum speed was around 11 knots. The crew consisted of 41 people. Tobruk was originally built for the British fleet as another Empire Builder. Ships of this type were characterized by a simplified structure, and the costs of their construction were largely minimized in relation to transport units built before 1939. Nevertheless, they had good capacity and decent seaworthiness. Their main task was to participate in Atlantic and Arctic convoys. The transport ship Tobruk, shortly after joining the Polish Navy, took part in the PQ-13 Arctic convoy. On its maiden voyage, it reached the port of destination (Murmansk), but was sunk there on April 3, 1942. Thanks to the efforts of the crew, the ship was able to be lifted from the bottom and temporarily repaired. He managed to get to Great Britain, where he was undergoing a general overhaul from October to January 1943. In the same year he returned to service and was sent to Murmansk again. From 1944, the unit operated in the Mediterranean Sea, and in August that year it supported Operation Dragon, i.e. the Allied landing in southern France. From the beginning of 1945, he took part in the Atlantic convoys. In 1946 it was sent to the port of Gdynia, and from 1951 it served in the Polish Ocean Lines. Ultimately, the unit was scrapped and cut in 1967-1968.Medoc was initially a French freighter, and later a British and Polish patrol ship from the interwar period and World War II. The unit was launched in 1930. The total length of the ship was 72.3 meters, the overall width was 10.4 meters, and her full displacement was about 1,250 tons. The maximum speed was around 11-12 knots. The Medoc was built at DW Henderson in Glasgow for a French civilian shipowner. Until the outbreak of World War II, Medoc carried out the most civilian transport tasks and only from 1939 it became part of the French Marine Nationale, and after the fall of France - from July 1940 - it was taken over by the Royal Navy. In British service, it was rearmed and had, among other things, 4 102 mm guns or 45 depth charges. It was also quickly manned by the Polish crew (July 1940) and began to play the role of a patrol ship. Unfortunately, the Medoc sank during the training by the crew as early as November 1940.