Although the official celebrations marking Polish Armed Forces Day will take place on 15 August, preparations for the event are already well underway, particularly for the military marches and parades. Such rehearsals are being held not only on land, but also at sea and in the air. On the 11th of August large crowds of residents and tourists gathered at Kościuszko Square in Gdynia to watch naval vessels taking part in a rehearsal ahead of Saturday’s planned naval parade.

A total of 20 vessels will take part in the naval parade, led by the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate ORP Gen. Tadeusz Kościuszko. The planned route will take the vessels across the Gulf of Gdańsk, allowing the Polish Navy ships participating in the event to be seen from the beaches and waterfronts of the Tri-City area.

The most spectacular part of the planned parade will take place in Gdynia, as the vessels pass the heads of the southern entrance to the port, opposite the Gdynia Aquarium. This is the point at which the ships will be closest to the coast, giving spectators an excellent view of the vessels. Among those taking part were the anti-submarine warfare corvette ORP Kaszub, minehunters, a minesweeper, hydrographic vessels, electronic intelligence ships, a minelayer-transport vessel, rescue boats and tugboats. The formation was closed by a patrol vessel of the Maritime Branch of the Polish Border Guard and vessels operated by the Military Gendarmerie.

Although a rehearsal of the vessels’ passage along the designated route was held on 11 August, its course was identical to that of the event scheduled for 15 August. In addition, crew members of each participating vessel stood on deck in full-dress uniforms. Alongside the surface vessels, aircraft and helicopters forming the naval aviation component also flew over the city.

It should be noted that, due to its size, ORP Gen. Tadeusz Kościuszko was scheduled to break away from the formation and remain stationary near the heads of the southern entrance. The remaining vessels followed the designated route, watched not only by residents and tourists, but also by government representatives, led by Minister of State Assets Wojciech Balczun, as well as senior commanders of the Navy and other branches of the armed forces.

For many spectators, the event was a unique opportunity to see Polish Navy vessels and aircraft operating at close range. It also highlighted the role and importance of the naval branch of the armed forces within Poland’s national security system.

The naval parade, both the rehearsal and the main event scheduled for 15 August, also serves as a tribute to Polish sailors, who have traditionally appeared somewhat “overlooked” during Polish Armed Forces Day celebrations, as the common saying goes, “you can’t take ships to the parade in Warsaw”. Holding a naval procession simultaneously with the celebrations in the capital, together with live television coverage, is one of the new traditions launched last year.

Photo: Polish MoD