Poniżej zamieszczam mój list w języku angielskim do p. RD Ballarda. Wysłałem go raz, a teraz proszę - zmieńcie co należy i wyślijcie jeszcze raz.
From: W M Wachniewski Slupsk, 11th Oct., 2004
ul. Szymanowskiego 9/3
PL-76-200 Slupsk
(Poland, EU)
stary_wraq@wp.pl
To: Dr R D Ballard
Dear Mr. Ballard,
I am an interpreter, translator and shiplover from Slupsk in Poland, keenly interested in some aspects of the World's maritime history. From one of our weekly magazines I've got the word, that you were to explore some Baltic wrecks, just to show them and their secrets to the World's public.
These three wrecks are the following: the Wilhelm Gustloff, the Steuben and the Goya. I could have here told some interesting stories about the first one, the ill-fated Gustloff and about my earnest comparison of her and of the Titanic (the press and magazines here repeat every now and then that complete taradiddle about the Gustloff as Hitler his Titanic...!)
But my subject is something different now R11; the story and the wreck of our famous submarine Orzel, built in Holland at Vlissingen by Messrs. R16;De ScheldeR17; Yard, commissioned for service in Feb. '39 (as far, as I remember now without any book in front of me) and LOST in May/June 1940.
The loss was one of the most tragic one during the whole war history of the Polish Navy - only the destroyer Orkan (Hurricane, British L/M class, lost early in October '43 torpedoed by a German U-Boat off Iceland) goes before the Orzel by the number of casualties under Polish Navy colors. Officially the submarine had been declared Lost in Action With All Hands after the 8th of June 1940 (the planned date of her return from the fifth war patrol off Norse coasts).
Known a bit is, that the submarine could have been sunk (or have perished) in the North Sea due to at least three causes: bombed by a German plane, mined or even torpedoed by a friendly (i. e. a Dutch?) submarine. The fourth cause is a possible accident.
The Orzel, named after our Polish National Emblem or Coat of Arms and dedicated to one of our greatest heroes of the 20th Century, Marshall J Pilsudski (1867-1935), is the most famous submarine ever to fly our Polish colors. Still in September '39 she was forced to enter a neutral harbor to land her sick commanding officer and to repair her damages suffered by far. The choice was to call at the Port of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. International war law guaranteed her the right of a limited stay at the neutral naval base, but just another day she was forcibly interned by Estonian military authorities. The eagle (as they call Orzel in English) however did not rest, ESCAPED the guarded naval base and then reached British NB of Rosyth without any suitable navigational aids nor intact artillery! The men passed in their ship i. a. through the difficult Danish Straits, then strictly guarded by Germans, and just this part of Orzel her story became to stuff for our best Naval film so far, entitled just "Orzel" (1958). I must admit here, that I have seen the picture several times and will see it eagerly in the future too. Interesting in it was, that the film was made with Orzel her sistership Sep (Vulture) playing the main part, that of the ship. Previously I was angry with the team because of discrepancies with the facts known to me, but one time I watched the film at a cinema in my city of Slupsk (a fair one too) and took it just as a tale. That instant all the bad impressions disappeared...
What I'd like to ask You is R11; to FIND ORZEL HER WRECK. Abt. 60 officers, petty-officers and ratings perished with her and their families here would be grateful to know where their beloved rest.
Of course the remnants of the ship will be declared as a war cemetery and Heroes' resting place, but Poland would be grateful to find the Orzel her watery grave in the depths of the North Sea...
Sincerely Yours
/-/
W M Wachniewski (none too great a VIP, just a citizen)
Moim przeczuciem takimi frajerami jednak rządzą dwie rzeczy:
Potrzeba kasy i wszelakie jej źródła oraz wszelaka wielka sława - więc gnoję waszmościa adresata na hello - stwierdzając - że ma wszelakie nasze starania głęboko w d...
Jak odpisze tak jak byśmy tego chcieli to się zdziwię - bo gość wielki będzie... ale szczerze wątpię bo ani z tego szmalu frajer nie poczuje ni sławy - co by kasy posypała... więc może łaskawie odpisze na 'spedalaj' 'gównianemu' polaczkowi, że to ciekawe i zajmie się tą sprawą - a tak naprawdę nic nie zrobi.
Wraq! Wyrazy uznania dla Ciebie za trudy dzieła Twego i starań Twoich. Wspieram Cię sercem i duchem - nie rezygnuj! Może kiedyś wśród tych chciwych i pazernych sławy debili znajdzie się ktoś - kto choć otworzy drzwi swojego pokoju w tej sprawie...
Dla mnie po prostu jesteś THE BEST bo działasz a nie pierdzielisz zbędne głupoty zapychając forum śmieciami. Duchem i sercem wspieram Cię 'orłowy' bracie. Pozdrawiam!
