On 27 August 2023 we completed the tenth expedition under the SANTI Finding the Eagle project.

 

Despite intensive preparations and continuous efforts, the ORP “Orzeł” ship remains undiscovered.


This year we continued the search with the following members:


Benedykt Hac


Karol Jacob


Maciej Honc


Michał Niemczycki


Piotr Michalik


Tomasz Stachura.


We set off from the Netherlands and sailed 2,200 km of the North Sea.

 

During the six days spent on the Tonijn vessel, we examined 149 potential wreck positions.
The Eagle could not be found.


However, our determination does not falter.

 

Thank you for your support and for believing in us.


A big thank you goes to the sponsors and partners who made a special contribution to making this year’s expedition happen:


BMB


Van Laar Maritime B.V.


QPS maritime geomatics software solutions


Escort Technology


Norbit Subsea


TopWave


ACO Wave


SANTI Diving


The project would not have come into being without the commitment of a group of passionate people who have been dedicating their private time to organize more expeditions together over the years.

 

We would like to thank the entire team, as well as the people who support us in Poland and abroad, thanks to Gert Normann and the Sea War Museum Jutland.

A detailed report of the SANTI Finding the Eagle 2023 expedition can be found here.

From 31st July to 8th August 2019, we managed to accomplish another expedition searching the ORP ‘Eagle” wreck in the North Sea within the”SANTI Odnalezc Orla” project. Loading and transport of the necessary equipment was carried out without any major problems. Early, on 29 July, in the morning we started the first stage by moving from Gdynia to Denmark. We started the expedition in the port of Thyboron, and for searching we used the same ship as the year before – NEMO ‘A’. The installation and launching of equipment went smoothly, mainly thanks to our specialists from the Maritime Institute in Gdansk. The composition of the crew changed slightly during the year, although the new members of the crew, as it turned out later, surprised us with their determination and professionalism. This year in our team included: Tomasz Stachura, head of the expedition, Benedykt Hac, head of the hydrographic team, two hydrographs Pawel Wysocki and Karol Jacob, Piotr Michalik responsible for historical support in the UK and two divers Lukasz Piorewicz and Marek Cacaj.

 

The assumptions and plans of this year’s expedition were slightly different from previous ones. So far we have focused on verifying so-called “Friendly Fire” hypothesis, according to which, the Eagle could have been accidentally sunk by the English. We have already searched 4 times the area connected with this hypothesis. This time we decided to focus on new actions. For this year’s expedtion we chose the area “A3”, which is connected with the hypothesis that ORP “Eagle” could sink in its first days after the departure. This is supported by the fact that ‘Eagle” did not contact the base in Rosyth even once during the whole last patrol. There are two hypotheses behind this, either ‘Eagle’ had a broken radio station, which made contact impossible, or ‘Eagle’ was sunk at the beginning of the patrol. Thanks to the numerous hours of preparation, verification of hundreds pages in the archives, conversations with local fishermen, we had prepared positions that we were going to verify.

 

In the first days of the trip the weather was favorable. Seasoned in battle, motivated and tenacious, we proceeded to act and check our positions. To explore the seabed we used an advanced multi-beam SeaBat 7125, thanks to the support of GeoFusion company. We checked about 200m of seabed, with each meter we’ve been creating a three-dimensional map. When wrecks appeared on the screens, not only we were able to determine what kind of vessel, cutter, merchant ship or warship it is, but also the dimensions of the wreck with an accuracy of 0.5m.

 

In total we crossed 984 NM (1824km). We managed to check 183 positions, 83 of them were wrecks. In the case of 14 positions, the sonar indicated anomalies, which in the end could have been the remains of pipes, stones or naturally shaped hills. We worked day and night, the equipment worked practically without rest, just like we did. Some of the verified positions came from local fishermen who, in order to support us, shared maps and knowledge gained for generations. Some of the positions we gained were never confirmed, so we wanted to verify everything to make sure we didn’t miss our “Eagle” anywhere.

 

The weather conditions changed on the seventh day of the expedition, huge waves were throwing the unit and the researches were very difficult. The equipment was on the verge of being able to scan the seabed. In order to complete our plan, we worked constantly. On the eighth day we decided to end the expedition and return. Traditionally, in order to commemorate our heroes and all those who died at sea, we put a wreath.

 

We do not give up, we are full of enthusiasm. After a moment of rest, return home, we will be ready to act. Further we know that the “Eagle” is waiting for us….

 

At this point, we would like to express our special thanks to all those who support us. Unusual words of encouragement increase our motivation. Many thanks to our partners: Maritime Institute in Gdansk for providing equipment and Yellow Cargo for logistic support. We would also like to thank our sponsors, SANTI for the long-term support of our project, DAMEN for the financial support and GeoFusion.

Source:
//www.allaboutshipping.co.uk/2018/01/17/families-meet-to-commemorate-wartime-british-seamen-lost-on-hms-narwhal/

Families meet to commemorate wartime British seamen lost on HMS Narwhal

By Piotr Michalik

A group of intrepid Polish divers were in London for an emotional meeting on January 12, 2018, with relatives of the brave seamen who served on HMS Narwhal, a British submarine sunk by the Luftwaffe in the North Sea on July 23, 1940, with the loss of 58 lives. Continue reading Families meet to commemorate wartime British seamen lost on HMS Narwhal

From May 20 to June 9, 2017, we have completed the next stage of the ‘SANTI Odnalezc Orla’ expedition which aim is to search and locate the ORP ‘Orzel‘, polish submarine sank at the bottom of the North Sea. As part of the expedition we continued the systematic bathymetric measurements started in 2015 in the immediate vicinity of the British aircraft carrier’s attack to submarine on June 3, 1940. The attack took place about 120 nautical miles off the coast of Great Britain at a latitude corresponding to the approximate location of Edinburgh. Continue reading THE NEXT STAGE OF THE EXPEDITION ‘SANTI ODNALEZC ORLA’ 2017 IS COMPLETED

Wszystkich, którzy nas wspierają i nam kibicują serdecznie zapraszamy w sobotę 20 maja do Gdyńskiej Mariny przy Skwerze Kościuszki. Tego dnia już od godziny 10:00 rozpoczyna się tam piknik Wodna Fiesta, gdzie będzie cala nasza ekipa i można będzie zobaczyć statek badawczy Mewo Nawigator, którym płyniemy. Dostępne będą również pamiątki oraz gadgety związane z naszą ekspedycją. Ponadto możliwość zobaczenia z bliska  okrętu podwodnego KOBEN oraz cala masa atrakcji związanych z morzem.
Wyjście w morze planowane jest na godz. 14:00 – Nabrzeże Prezydenta (obok ORP Błyskawica)

Serdecznie zapraszamy !

Mamy dla Was unikatowe fotografie wnętrz Zakładów Akumulatorowych systemu TUDOR S.A. w Piastowie pochodzące z lat trzydziestych, to właśnie TU wykonano 200 szt. ogniw zasilających silniki elektryczne ORŁA. Zakłady funkcjonują do dziś, pod nazwą ZAP Sznajder Batterien S.A. – fotografie udostępnione zostały nam dzięki uprzejmości przedstawicieli Spółki.