It was an exceptional day for Polish Navy and shipbuilding industry. In the presence of President Karol Nawrocki, the first of three planned multi-purpose frigates under the “Miecznik” programme was christened. The future ORP Wicher is now awaiting the crucial next stage of work – its launch.

The ceremony at PGZ Stocznia Wojenna (Navy Shipyard) in Gdynia brought together numerous guests from Poland and abroad. They included representatives of the state authorities, led by President Karol Nawrocki and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, senior armed forces commanders, as well as representatives and partners of the PGZ-Miecznik consortium, responsible for the construction and delivery of the new vessels for the Polish Navy.

The first to speak was the host of the ceremony, Marcin Ryngwelski, president of PGZ Stocznia Wojenna. He was the first speaker that day – and not the last – to emphasise that Wicher is the result of cooperation across political divisions.

“This is modern military equipment which, I hope, will never be used in combat, but to deter the enemy” – President Ryngwelski said.

He also appealed to young people to choose the maritime industry as their career path.

“The shipyard worker profession has become attractive and is experiencing a renaissance. Let us not waste what has been built here over generations” – he said.

In his speech, Polish President Karol Nawrocki also stressed that the Miecznik programme had been created across political divisions.

“We all agree that something exceptional is happening today, a complete breakthrough which began in the formal, bureaucratic phase in 2013 and 2014, and took real shape in July 2021” – the president said.

He also stressed that it is one of the elements of a new opening for the maritime economy and the Navy, which – after 1989 – had been forgotten by consecutive governments and fell victim to underinvestment.

“Something exceptional happened in July 2021 for the Polish armed forces and the Polish shipbuilding industry,” he said. “A sovereign, independent Poland, thanks to Polish shipyard workers and Polish sailors, is capable of taking care of its own security. On its own, but in cooperation with our partners”.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the President also assured that regardless of the outcome of the next parliamentary elections, he would ensure that the entire “Miecznik” programme was brought to a successful conclusion.

Next Prime Minister Donald Tusk took the floor. In his speech, he referred to the history of Gdynia.

“Today, I think we all feel more or less the same as engineer Wenda did more than one hundred years ago, when he pointed to this small fishing village as the place where one of the largest ports was to be built” – he said.

He also said that Poland was becoming a maritime power in the Baltic Sea and a country that mattered when it came to making the most important decisions about Europe’s future. At the same time, he echoed the president’s words that “there can be no quarrels and disputes when it comes to the security of our homeland”.

“Wicher, Burza and Huragan are fortunately not a weather forecast. They are symbols of our strength and calm on the Baltic Sea,” Tusk said. (wicher, burza and huragan, the names of future Navy vessels, respectively mean: gale, storm and hurricane).

Also speaking during the ceremony were Inspector of the Navy Jarosław Ziemiański, president of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa Adam Leszkiewicz, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of National Defence Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, Minister of State Assets Wojciech Balczun and Minister at the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, Lord Vernon Rodney Coaker.

Agata Ziemiańska, wife of the Inspector of the Navy Vice Admiral Jarosław Ziemiański, became the ship’s godmother. She is a graduate of the University of Gdańsk and an employee of the Maritime Port of Gdynia.

The ship was blessed by Navy chaplains. The highlight of the ceremony was the godmother delivering the traditional formula: “Sail the seas and oceans of the world, bring glory to the name of the Polish shipyard worker and the Polish sailor. I name you Wicher.” The ceremony was completed with the traditional shipbuilding industry custom of smashing a bottle of champagne against the hull.

Preparing the future ORP Wicher for its christening and launch was itself no small challenge. It involved moving the hull, weighing several thousand tonnes, out of the hull construction hall onto the semi-submersible barge Boabarge 33, specially brought to the country for this purpose, which will be used during the complex launch procedure scheduled for 13 August in the waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk. In preparation for today’s ceremony, the barge together with the ship was also moved along the shipyard’s quay the previous day.

The frigates of the “Miecznik” programme will be 138.7 metres long, with a maximum displacement of up to 7,000 tonnes. Their maximum speed will be 26 knots, while their cruising speed will be 12 knots. Their range will be 8,000 nautical miles. The ship’s crew will consist of 187 personnel. The propulsion system consists of four diesel engines in a CODAD (Combined Diesel and Diesel) configuration, MTU 20V8000M71 engines from Rolls-Royce, with some operating at lower, economical speeds and the remainder additionally activated as speed is increased or in the event of a greater load on the vessel.

The ships will be equipped with an integrated mission system from Thales, comprising an integrated bridge, communications system, platform management system and combat management system. The full combat management system, sensors and effectors will include air-defence systems, anti-missile systems and water-to-water, water-to-ground and anti-submarine torpedoes. The ships will have medium- and long-range multifunction radars, as well as a fire-control radar and imaging reconnaissance systems, together with hull-mounted and towed sonars. They will be equipped with electronic warfare systems.

NSM (Naval Strike Missile) launchers will be used to engage surface and land targets. The artillery armament will include an OTO Melara Super Rapid Strales 76 mm medium-calibre gun, two 35 mm OSU-35K guns, remotely controlled weapon modules equipped with multi-calibre machine guns, as well as manually operated machine guns. The weapons will have ranges starting from 40 km, with missiles reaching up to 100 km, while anti-ship missiles will be capable of covering distances of up to 200 km. The torpedo armament will comprise two torpedo launchers. The target configuration for the ships’ air-defence systems will include Mk41 VLS vertical launchers and missiles from the CAMM family, including CAMM-ER.

Individual subsystems are intended for defensive and offensive operations, including the engagement of specific targets. The equipment will also include radars capable of detecting air targets at distances of more than 400 km and surface targets at distances of up to 80 km, a fire-control radar with a range of up to 120 km, sensors for detecting submarines and a towed sonar providing a theoretical range of up to 60 km, depending on the target and sea conditions.

The christening and launch are the next stages of work that began with an agreement signed with the Armament Inspectorate on 27 July 2021. The project is being carried out by the PGZ-Miecznik Consortium, comprising Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. and PGZ Stocznia Wojenna sp. z o.o. The strategic foreign partners in the project are Babcock, Thales UK and MBDA UK.

The future ORP Wicher is due to be handed over to the customer in 2029. Until then, the hull will continue to be fitted out. The frigate will also undergo shipyard and sea trials. At the same time, intensive training of the ship’s future crew is under way. It will become part of the 3rd Flotilla of Ships’ Combat Ship Squadron and will be permanently stationed at the Gdynia Naval Port.

Construction is currently under way on two sister vessels, the future ORP Burza and ORP Huragan. Once Wicher has been moved out of the hull construction hall, Burza will take its place, where the blocks will be assembled and equipment installed. All the vessels are scheduled to enter service by the end of 2032.

It is worth recalling that other shipyards are also involved in the construction of the ships, including Gdynia-based CRIST. Construction of the blocks for the third Miecznik, the future ORP Huragan, is already under way there.

Photos: GospodarkaMorska.pl