ORP Dzik (original name: P.52) was a British and later Polish submarine from the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in 1941, and the launch took place in October 1942. The unit was commissioned in December 1942. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 60 meters and 4.9 meters wide. The displacement in immersion was about 800 tons, and the maximum speed in immersion was about 9 knots. The armament consisted of four 533 mm torpedo tubes, 1 76 mm gun and 3 7.7 mm machine guns.
ORP Dzik was one of the 49 U-type submarines. The units of this type were built to operate in relatively shallow waters and did not have a high surface speed. Another weakness was the lack of an advanced fire control system. P.52 was taken over by the Polish Navy in connection with the loss of ORP Jastrzębie and renamed ORP Dzik. The unit served primarily in the Mediterranean basin, and also took part in Operation Husky, i.e. the landing in Sicily in July 1943. ORP Dzik sunk five enemy ships with a total displacement of approx. 8,650 GRT and - additionally - three landing ferries. After the war, ORP Dzik was returned to the Royal Navy, later handed over to the Danish Navy, where it served in the years 1947-1957.
ORP Dragon (original name: HMS Dragon) was a British and later Polish light cruiser of the period, especially World War II. The keel for this vessel was laid in 1917, and the launch took place in December 1917. The unit entered service with the Royal Navy in August 1918. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 144 meters and a width of 14.8 meters. Full displacement was around 5,600 tons, and the maximum speed was around 29 knots. At the time of the launch, the on-board armament consisted of, among others: 6 152 mm guns, 3 102 mm guns or 4 20 mm guns.
HMS Dragon was one of the eight D-class light cruisers. They were built on the basis of the modernized C-class design, being longer and better armed for them. Initially, it was assumed that they would be used to fight enemy destroyers, but their maximum speed lower than that of the potential enemy made such actions significantly more difficult. On the other hand, the D-type units were well armored and well armed. In the last months of the war, HMS Dragon was primarily on patrol duty in the North Sea, and in 1923 it set out on a voyage around the world with other Royal Navy ships (including the HMS Hood battleship). At the outbreak of World War II, the unit was used against German raiders such as Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland. In 1940, the unit took part in the unsuccessful Operation Menace. In late 1941, HMS Dragon was dispatched to a base in Singapore, along with the battleships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse. However, he did not take part in the Battle of Kuantan on December 10, 1941. During the Battle of the Java Sea, the unit served near Sumatra. HMS Dragon later returned to Britain. In January 1943, the unit was transferred to the Polish Navy (PMW), where it changed its name to ORP Dragon. The unit under the Polish flag took part in the invasion of France in June and July 1944. On July 8, ORP Dragon was severely damaged by a live Neger torpedo. Due to the excessively high costs of renovation, the unit was self-sinking as part of an artificial breakwater in the Sword beach area on July 20, 1944.
ORP Jastrząb (original name: USS S-25 or SS-130) was an American and later Polish submarine from the interwar period and World War II. The keel for this unit was laid in 1918, and the launch took place in May 1922. The unit was commissioned in July 1923. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 66 meters and a width of 6.3 meters. The displacement in submerged reached approx. 1,060 tons, and the maximum speed while submerged was approx. 11 knots. The armament consisted of four 533 mm torpedo tubes and a single 120 mm gun.
ORP Jastrząb was one of 51 S / S-1 submarines. Units of this type were built at the end of World War I in connection with the considerable successes achieved by German submarines in the declining period of this conflict. At the outbreak of World War II, in view of the development of underwater weapons in other countries, they were considered rather obsolete and used for secondary tasks. The USS S-25 was handed over to Great Britain under the Lend-Leasse program in November 1941 and handed over to the Polish Navy in the same month. Unfortunately, the unit did not serve under the Polish flag, because on May 5, 1942 it was sunk by its own allied surface units, while the PQ-15 convoy was protected.