The Polish Sub "Orzeł" was commissioned for the service with the Polish Navy on the 1st of Feb. 1939
She commenced her war service on the 2nd of Sep. '39, leaving the NB of Gdynia to take part in the Operation WOREK (Eng. Sack). Her CO was then the Cdr. Henryk Kloczkowski PN. On the 4th and 5th of Sep. she was attacked by German planes. Ten days later the ORZEL entered the harbour of Tallinn to provide for the medical treatment of her CO. The Estonian authorities postponed the sub's departure from the harbour only to intern her later under German pressure. During the night
of 17th/18th Sep. the submarine, partially disarmed and commanded then by Lt. Cdr. Jan Grudzinski (the Orzel's X/O under Kloczkowski, managed to escape the harbour. On the 14th of Oct. '39, after passing Denmark or Danish Straits without proper charts, she called at the British NB of Rosyth in Scotland.
During her fifth patrol, on the 8th of Apr. 1940, the ORZEL torpedoed and sank the German vessel "Rio de Janeiro". For her seventh and last patrol she left on the 23rd of May 1940.
The Polish Sub "Orzeł" was commissioned for the service with the Polish Navy on the 1st of Feb. 1939
