MM-SET-3-4-2012 ORP KRAKOWIAK, JEREMIAH O'BRIEN

ORP Krakowiak (original name: HMS Silverton) was a British and later Polish destroyer from the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in 1939, and the launch took place in December 1940. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 85.3 meters and a width of 9.6 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 1,490 tons, and the maximum speed was approx. 27 knots. The armament included 6 102 mm guns in three twin turrets, 4 20 mm Oerlikon cannons and 2 Thornycroft depth bomb throwers. ORP Krakowiak was one of 36 Hunt II-class destroyers. This type of units was built in connection with the Royal Navy's desire to acquire two basic types of destroyers in the late 1930s: the first type was to be a typical destroyer with strong weapons, adapted to work with other, larger ships, and the second type - the Hunt - it was to be smaller and dedicated to escort tasks and ZOP activities (fighting submarines). The Hunt II type was a development of the Hunt I type. Compared to its predecessor, it was primarily characterized by stronger anti-submarine weapons and an increased width. HMS Silverton, after it entered service in the Royal Navy, was handed over to the Polish Navy in the first half of 1941. Under the Polish flag, it participated primarily in the protection of Atlantic convoys, but at the end of December 1941 took part in Operation Anklet. In 1943 ORP Krakowiak operated in the Mediterranean, supporting, inter alia, the Allied landing in Sicily (Operation Husky). He also supported Royal Navy units in November 1943 during their battles for the Dodecanese. In June 1944, he participated in the Normandy landings. In 1946, ORP Krakowiak was returned to the Royal Navy and was renamed HMS Silverton. He was decommissioned in 1959.SS Jeremiah O'Brien was an American merchant ship of the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in May 1943, and the launch took place in June of the same year, and in July 1943 the ship entered service. The total length of the vessel at the time of launching was 134.57 meters and a width of 17 meters. Full displacement reached 14,450 tons and maximum speed - 11 knots. The deck armament at the time of the launch consisted of a single 127 mm cannon, three 76 mm cannons and 8 20 mm Oerlikon cannons. SS Jeremiah O'Brien was one of the Liberty ships. Vessels of this type were mass-built by shipyards located in the USA and Canada during World War II. Units of this type were cheap and easy to produce, they had a very simple structure, but also very spacious holds. It is worth adding that the first units of this type were built in approx. 240-250 days, but along with the improvement of production techniques, this time decreased to approx. 40 days! During the war, more than 2,700 Liberty ships were built, of which about 200 were lost as a result of the hostilities. SS Jeremiah O'Brien was built at the New England Shipbuilding Corporation in South Portland, Maine. He began his service in the Atlantic, where he made a total of four convoy voyages. It was also used as a transport ship during the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944. Later, it was directed to the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, where it served until the end of World War II. In 1946, SS Jeremiah O'Brien was transferred to the reserve. She is currently one of only two Liberty ships that function as a museum ship.