ORP S-2

{{Short description|Polish motor gunboat from World War II}} {{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image | image = Mgb S2 FL16309.jpg | image_caption = ORP ''S-2'' after rearmament, 1942–1944 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career | hide_header = | country = Poland | flag = {{shipboxflag|Poland|naval-1946}} | name = ORP ''S-2'' (''MA/SB 44'', ''MGB 44'') | awarded = | launched = | christened = | acquired = | recommissioned = | decommissioned = July 5, 1944 | out_of_service = | fate = | struck = | reinstated = | motto = | namesake = | badge = | builder = British Power Boat Company, Hythe | commissioned = July 19, 1940 | laid_down = }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics | hide_header = | header_caption = | class = motor gunboat | displacement = * standard: {{convert|24|t|LT|abbr=on}} * full: about {{convert|31|t|LT|abbr=on}} | length = {{convert|19.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | beam = {{convert|5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | draught = | draft = {{convert|1.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} | propulsion = 2 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, 1,100 hp each | speed = * {{convert|40|kn|abbr=on}} (trials) * {{convert|35|kn|abbr=on}} (operational) | range = | boats = | capacity = | complement = 11 | armament = * 1 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon * 2 × 12.7 mm heavy machine guns * 4 × 7.7 mm Lewis machine guns * 18 × 30 kg naval mines | type = BPB 63′ }} }} '''ORP ''S-2''''' (British designations: '''''MA/SB 44''''', '''''MGB 44''''') was a Polish motor gunboat from World War II, one of two British Power Boat 63'-type vessels acquired by the Polish Navy in 1940. It is also known in some literature by the unofficial name '''''Wilczur'''''. The Polish flag was raised on the vessel on 19 July 1940, with Sub-Lieutenant {{Interlanguage link|Eugeniusz Wciślicki|pl|Eugeniusz Wciślicki}} as its first commander. ORP ''S-2'' participated in numerous skirmishes with German light naval forces in the English Channel region. It was decommissioned on 5 July 1944 due to wear and was likely scrapped after March 1947.

== History == The sister gunboats ORP ''S-2'' and ORP ''S-3'' were offered to the Polish Navy Command in exchange for the second of two torpedo boats ordered before the war from the J. Samuel White shipyard in Cowes, of which only the first, {{Interlanguage link|ORP S-1|lt=ORP ''S-1''|pl|ORP S-1}}, was delivered.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Piaskowski |first=Stanisław M. |title=Okręty Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 1920-1946 |publisher=Lampart |year=1996 |isbn= |location=Warsaw |page=86 |language=pl |trans-title=Ships of the Republic of Poland 1920-1946}}</ref> Originally built for the Swedish Navy under the designations ''T 1'' and ''T 2'' at the British Power Boat yard in Hythe, these vessels bore the British designations ''MA/SB 44'' and ''45'' (Motor Anti-Submarine Boat) and were requisitioned by the Royal Navy after the outbreak of war.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fock |first=Harald |title=Fast Fighting Boats 1870-1945 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1978 |isbn=0-87021-820-4 |location=Maryland |page=138 |language=}}</ref> Designed by racing boat innovator Hubert Scott-Paine, they belonged to the third series of the BPB 63' (63-foot) type, alongside four additional boats intended for Norway.<ref name=":1">{{Harvard citation text|Twardowski|1998|pp=41–44}}</ref> Initially planned as torpedo boats, the British repurposed them for anti-submarine duties with light artillery and depth charges, though they lacked intended sonar equipment and were ultimately reclassified as gunboats.<ref name=":1" />

ORP ''S-2'' was handed over to the Polish Navy on 28 June 1940 and formally transferred under an agreement dated 10 July 1941.<ref name=":2">{{Harvard citation text|Twardowski|1998|pp=40–41}}</ref> It entered service on 19 July 1940,<ref name=":0" /> with Sub-Lieutenant {{Interlanguage link|Eugeniusz Wciślicki|pl|Eugeniusz Wciślicki}} appointed captain on 11 July.<ref name=":2" /> From January 1941, following a British reclassification, it also carried the designation ''MGB 44'' (Motor Gun Boat).<ref name=":1" /> Some sources mention the Polish name ''Wilczur'' (Wolfhound), though this was unofficial and its widespread use is uncertain.<ref group="lower-alpha">According to {{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|p=143}}, the crew "infrequently" used the unofficial name ORP ''Wilczur''. {{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|p=128}} also notes that Lieutenant Tadeusz Dąbrowski, commander of the gunboat group, proposed renaming ORP ''S-1'', ''S-2'', and ''S-3'' to ''Ogar'', ''Wilczur'', and ''Wyżeł'', but the Polish Navy Command rejected this in January 1941. However, Captain Jaraczewski, commander of ORP ''S-1'' and ''S-3'', claimed crews neither used nor likely knew these names ({{Harvard citation text|Twardowski|1998|p=41}}).</ref> References to an MGB 204 designation appear in some accounts,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pertek |first=Jerzy |author-link=Jerzy Pertek |title=Wielkie dni małej floty |publisher=Wydawnictwo Poznańskie |year=1976 |edition= |location=Poznań |page=596 |language=pl |trans-title=Great Days of the Small Fleet}}</ref> but lack substantiation.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Piwowoński |first=Jan |title=Flota spod biało-czerwonej |publisher=Nasza Księgarnia |year=1989 |isbn=83-10-08902-3 |location=Warsaw |pages=320–322 |language=pl |trans-title=Fleet Under the White-and-Red}}</ref>

== Design == ORP ''S-2'' was a gunboat measuring 19.2 meters in length, with a maximum beam of 5 meters and an average draft of 1.3 meters. Its standard displacement was 24 long tons, increasing to approximately 31 long tons fully loaded.<ref name=":4">{{Harvard citation text|Twardowski|1998|p=39}}</ref> Propulsion came from two Rolls-Royce Merlin aviation gasoline engines, each producing 1,100 horsepower. It achieved a maximum speed of 40 knots during trials, though operational speed did not exceed 35 knots. The standard crew comprised two officers and nine non-commissioned officers and sailors.<ref name=":4" />

Initially, its armament included a single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon on the aft deck and four 7.7 mm Lewis guns, mounted in pairs in turrets amidships on either side of the superstructure.<ref name=":5">{{Harvard citation text|Twardowski|1998|p=42}}</ref> It could carry up to ten depth charges (possibly replacing the cannon), though this was reduced to four upon commissioning and further to two by August 1940.<ref name=":5" />

Between October 1941 and January 1942, ORP ''S-2'' was rearmed. The Oerlikon cannon remained aft, but the Lewis gun turrets were removed. A twin 12.7 mm Vickers machine gun was installed in a Frazer-Nash turret on the superstructure's centerline, supplemented by two twin 7.7 mm Lewis guns on column mounts near the command position.<ref name=":5" /> Reinforced aft decking allowed it to carry up to 18 small 30 kg mines of the R type − floating mines linked by 33-meter ropes to form a barrier, sinking after about an hour.<ref name=":6">{{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|pp=155–156}}</ref>

== Service == ORP ''S-2'' joined the multinational 3rd MA/SB Flotilla (later MGB) on 19 July 1940, based in Dartmouth, then Fowey and Ramsgate.<ref name=":1" /> It was soon joined by ORP ''S-3'' and later ORP ''S-1'', forming the III Division of the flotilla,<ref name=":1" /> commanded by Sub-Lieutenant Wciślicki, nicknamed "Captain Whisky" by the British.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Jefferson |first=David |title=Coastal Forces at War: The Royal Navy's 'Little Ships' in the Narrow Seas 1939–45 |publisher=Haynes Publishing |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84425-562-7 |location=Yeovil |pages=204–206 |language=}}</ref> Their primary duties included escorting coastal convoys in the English Channel, offensive raids toward occupied Belgium and France, and patrolling the British coast.<ref name=":3" /> Administratively, the Polish gunboats reported to the Polish Naval Command "Południe" in Plymouth, while tactically they were under British command.<ref name=":0" />

The crew's first combat success was downing a German Heinkel He 111 bomber on 27 August 1940 near Portsmouth.<ref name=":8">{{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|pp=146–147}}</ref> On the night of 3–4 September, ORP ''S-2'' and ''S-3'', escorting a coastal convoy, ran aground on North Goodwin Sands; ORP ''S-3'' sustained damage and was towed to Ramsgate by ORP ''S-2''. On 23 September, ORP ''S-2'' helped escort the battleship HMS ''Revenge'' during the bombardment of Cherbourg.<ref name=":8" /> In early March 1941, one engine was replaced, and on 21–22 March, the vessel engaged in a brief firefight between British and German gunboats.<ref name=":1" /> From 10 June to 26 September 1941, Sub-Lieutenant Maciej Bocheński temporarily replaced Wciślicki,<ref name=":9">{{Cite book |title=Kadry Morskie Rzeczypospolitej. Tom V: Polska Marynarka Wojenna. Dokumentacja organizacyjna i kadrowa oficerów, podoficerów i marynarzy (1918–1947) |publisher=Polskie Towarzystwo Nautologiczne |year=2011 |isbn=978-83-932722-0-4 |editor-last=Sawicki |editor-first=Jan Kazimierz |location=Gdynia |page=414 |language=pl |trans-title=Maritime Personnel of the Republic. Volume V: Polish Navy. Organizational and Personnel Documentation of Officers, NCOs, and Sailors (1918–1947)}}</ref> during which both engines were swapped, followed by a refit and rearmament from September 1941 to March 1942.<ref name=":1" /> In March, April, and June 1942, ORP ''S-2'' conducted patrols, including mine-laying operations.<ref name=":6" />

Its most notable action occurred on 21–22 June 1942, engaging six German ''Schnellboote'' in the English Channel.<ref name=":7" /> ORP ''S-2'' and ''S-3'' patrolled near the French coast, but ''S-3'' returned due to engine failure. At 38 minutes past midnight, ORP ''S-2'' was alerted to six enemy vessels − S 67, S 70, S 104 (2nd Flotilla) and S 48, S 63, S 64, S 109 (4th Flotilla), possibly reduced to five − preparing to attack a British convoy. Positioning itself between the enemy and the shore by 1:05 AM, ORP ''S-2'' opened fire, disrupting the German formation and forcing their withdrawal.<ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last=Kasperski |first=Tadeusz |year=2014 |title=S-2 kontra Schnellbooty |trans-title=S-2 versus Schnellboote |journal=Morze, Statki i Okręty |language=pl |location=Warsaw |publisher=Magnum-X |volume=19 |issue=144 |pages=15–18 |issn=1426-529X}}</ref> Polish reports suggest the ''Schnellboote'' fired on each other in the confusion. After a brief clash, with ammunition depleted, ORP ''S-2'' sustained minor damage − a hole in the hull and a pierced antenna − before retreating and meeting four British gunboats sent as reinforcements.<ref name=":11">{{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|pp=161–163}}</ref> Wciślicki was later accused of disobeying a 11:10 PM recall order due to a radiotelegraphist's error.<ref group="lower-alpha">{{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|p=158}} argues the radiotelegraphist's mention in the report supports a genuine misunderstanding rather than deliberate disobedience.</ref><ref name=":10" /> Admiral Bertram Ramsay, Dover area commander, dismissed the charges, likening the action to Horatio Nelson's traditions.<ref name=":7" /> The engagement, with no confirmed losses, was deemed a tactical victory against superior odds, earning Wciślicki the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari and Distinguished Service Cross, with other crew members also decorated.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|p=165}}</ref> German records suggest one to three ''Schnellboote'' sustained minor damage, possibly from friendly fire, though this is unconfirmed.<ref group="lower-alpha">{{Harvard citation text|Borowiak|2015|p=161}} claims one ''Schnellboot'' was severely damaged, citing archives, but provides no specifics.</ref><ref name=":10" />

On 5–6 July 1942, ORP ''S-2'', leading five gunboats, clashed briefly with ''Schnellboote'' defending a convoy. On 7 August, with ORP ''S-3'', it supported a British torpedo boat attack on a German convoy near Calais.<ref name=":1" /> Reports credited the Polish vessels with sinking one and damaging another enemy gunboat,<ref name=":3" /> though German archives suggest these claims were exaggerated. On 22 September, ORP ''S-2'' and two British units were strafed by ''Luftwaffe'' fighters. It remained active, including transporting saboteurs to France with ORP ''S-1'' in December 1943.<ref name=":1" /> Decommissioned on 5 July 1944 due to wear,<ref name=":3" /> it was laid up at Devonport. Inspected by a Polish Naval Mission in March 1947, its poor condition led to its likely scrapping thereafter.<ref name=":1" />

Captains of ORP ''S-2'' were:<ref name=":9" /> * 19 July 1940 – 5 October 1942: Lt. Eugeniusz Wciślicki<ref name=":1" /> ** 10 June 1941 – 26 September 1941: Sub-Lt. Maciej Bocheński (acting) * 5 October 1942 – 5 December 1942: Sub-Lt. Józef Ponikiewski (acting) * 5 December 1942 – 14 December 1942: Sub-Lt. Ludwik Antoszewicz (acting) * 15 December 1942 – 2 May 1944: Lt. Witold Szuster * 3 May 1944 – 5 July 1944: Sub-Lt. Jerzy Krasucki (acting)

== Notes == <references group="lower-alpha" />

== References == {{reflist}}

== Bibliography == * {{Cite book |last=Borowiak |first=Mariusz |title=Ścigacze Polskiej Marynarki Wojennej w II wojnie światowej |trans-title=Gunboats of the Polish Navy in World War II |location=Warszawa |publisher=Alma-Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-83-7020-611-6 |language=pl |ref=}} * {{Cite journal |last=Twardowski |first=Marek |title=Polskie ścigacze w II wojnie światowej |trans-title=Polish Gunboats in World War II |journal=Morza, Statki i Okręty |volume=3 |year=1998 |issn=1426-529X |publisher=Magnum-X |location=Warsaw |language=pl |ref=}}

Category:Polish Navy Category:Gunboats by country