ORP Flaming was a Polish base minesweeper from the Cold War era, one of 12 ships of Orlik-class, rebuilt between 2000 and 2001 into a minehunter (Projekt 206FM). The vessel measured 58.2 meters in length, 7.97 meters in width, and had a draft of 2.14 meters, with a full displacement of 470 tons. It was armed with three twin-mounted 25 mm 2M-3M automatic guns and depth charges, and was also equipped to carry and deploy naval mines.
The ship was launched on 5 May 1966 at Stocznia Gdynia, and was commissioned into the Polish Navy on September 27 of the same year. Designated with the pennant number 621, the vessel initially served in the 13th Minesweeper Division of the in Hel. After the division's disbandment in 2006, it was reassigned to the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla. ORP Flaming served in NATO's standing mine countermeasure groups four times and participated in numerous international exercises, clearing dangerous remnants of World War II in both Polish and foreign waters. After years of intensive service, the ship was decommissioned in December 2020.
Design and construction
Work on a new type of minesweeper began at the Central Ship Design Bureau No. 2 in Gdańsk in 1958 to replace the minesweepers, which had been in service since 1946. Initially, the new vessels were intended to be roadstead minesweepers, capable of conducting both contact and non-contact mine clearance operations in the vicinity of naval bases and laying small minefields. These ships were to have a displacement of approximately 200 tons, a speed of 18 knots, a range of 3,000 nautical miles, and armament consisting of two 45 mm guns and four 14.5 mm heavy machine guns, with mine clearance equipment standard for the late 1950s. Simultaneously, the Navy Command issued requirements for a new base minesweeper with a displacement of 570 tons, despite ongoing preparations for the licensed production of Soviet T43-class minesweepers. Under the leadership of engineer Henryk Andrzejewski, Central Ship Design Bureau No. 2 prepared both the design for a roadstead minesweeper (designated Projekt 206) and four designs for larger base minesweepers (Projekts 250–253). After much debate, it was decided to halt work on the Projekt 250–253 base minesweepers in favor of converting the Projekt 206 vessel into a base minesweeper. In 1959, Central Ship Design Bureau No. 2 developed a modified minesweeper design with a displacement of 425 tons, powered by Italian Fiat diesel engines, as no suitable propulsion units were being produced in socialist countries.Initially, it was planned to use Dutch RHUB 215 diesel engines with a power of 1,500 hp to power the minesweepers; however, a license could not be obtained for them (similarly to the Fiat engines, of which 24 units were ultimately purchased for a total of 2.4 million USD) (). The project (designated B206F)The letter F in the project designation likely symbolizes the Fiat engines used to power the minesweepers (). was approved for implementation in December 1959 by the Minister of National Defense, but the final technical design was not approved by the Navy Command until 19 February 1962. The documentation costs amounted to 1.7 million PLN, the construction of the prototype (the future ) cost 80 million PLN, and the cost of a serial ship was 65.5 million PLN. The unit's annual operational limit was set at 700 hours, with the structure's lifespan estimated at 20 years.
ORP Flaming was built at Stocznia Gdynia (yard number 206F/9). Military oversight of the construction was carried out by Lieutenant Commander . The shipyard used a method of building the vessel's hull from sections joined on the slipway, a technique previously developed for the mass production of fishing trawlers. The keel of the ship was laid on 7 January 1966, and it was launched on 5 May 1966. The minesweeper was given the traditional name for Polish mine warfare vessels, taken from a bird. The ship's godmother was Joanna Tor-Miszczak.
Tactical and technical data The ship was a smooth-deck, ocean-going minesweeper designed for operation in conditions of partial ice cover. The overall length was 58.2 meters, width was 7.97 meters, and draft was 2.14 meters. The side height measured 4 meters. Constructed from steel, the vessel's fully welded hull was reinforced to increase resistance to underwater explosions. It was divided into seven watertight compartments: (from the bow): I – forecastle (bosun's store, ship's equipment store, food store, chain locker, and anchor windlass), II – radar station and ammunition and electrical storage, III – living quarters and gyrocompass and artillery central room, IV – auxiliary engine room, V – main engine room with propulsion control center, VI – stern crew quarters, and VII – minesweeping equipment store, steering engine, and depth charge chutes. The lowest level of the hull housed fuel tanks, freshwater, and service water tanks, as well as the propeller shafts. On the lower level of the superstructure were the officers' cabins, mess, galley, sanitary facilities, and food storage. The upper part contained the bridge and cabins for radio, navigation, and sonar, along with a command post on the signal deck covered with a tarpaulin roof and a light three-legged mast with radio equipment antennas. The standard displacement was 426 tons, while the full displacement was 470 tons. report a standard displacement of 424 tons and a full displacement of 503 tons, while states that the displacement was 450/483 tons.
The ship was powered by two non-reversible, turbocharged 12-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines in a V configuration, the FIAT 2312SS, each with a maximum power of 1,324 kW (1,800 hp; the nominal power was 1,400 hp at 920 rpm), driving two controllable pitch propellers via Lohman GUB reduction gears. The maximum speed of the vessel was 18.4 knots (economical speed – 17 knots). The ship could carry 55.5 tons of fuel, providing a range of 2,000 nautical miles at a speed of 17 knots. and state that the range was 2,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots, while claims it was 3,200 nautical miles at 12 knots. At the stern, there were two balanced rudders, each with an area of 1.7 m², operated by an MS25 steering gear. Electrical power was supplied by four British main generators, Ruston S324M, each rated at 60 kVA (consisting of a generator and a Leyland SW400 engine with a power of 72 hp at 1,500 rpm), an auxiliary generator S322M rated at 27 kVA, and an electromagnetic minesweeping generator M50. The ship's autonomy was 12 days. It could safely operate in sea state 8, while performing minesweeping tasks in sea state 4, at speeds ranging from 0 to 12 knots.
The ship's initial artillery armament consisted of three twin 2M-3M 25 mm autocannons, with a total ammunition supply of 6,000 rounds. These were positioned with one mount forward of the superstructure along the ship's centerline and two mounts side by side on the aft superstructure. The anti-submarine warfare armament included two below-deck depth charge racks, with a total of 12 B-1 depth charges. Additionally, the ship was equipped with two deck-mounted mine rails, capable of alternately carrying 10 KB or AMD-500 mines, 16 08/39 mines, or 8 AMD-1000 mines. The crew was also armed with individual weapons, including 22 AK-47 rifles and 8 pistols, with a total ammunition stock of 17,000 rounds.
Minesweeping equipment included the MT-2 contact sweep, TEM-52M electromagnetic sweep, and BAT-2 acoustic sweep. The ship's electronic equipment included the Kremnij-2 identification friend or foe system, R-609 VHF radio communication station, R-644 HF transmitter, R-671 HF receiver, R-619 wideband receiver, ARP-50-1,2M direction finder, Tamir-11M (MG-11M) sonar, Lin-M general observation radar, and Rym-K radio navigation system. The ship was also equipped with 8 smoke candle racks, a Kurs-4 gyrocompass, UKPM-1M and UKPM-3M magnetic compasses, a NEŁ-5 echo sounder, MGŁ-25 chip log, and an infrared group navigation system called Chmiel.
The minesweeper was adapted for passive defense against nuclear and chemical threats. For this purpose, three rooms with filtration and ventilation devices were constructed, and dosimetric equipment, as well as decontamination spray pipelines, were installed on the ship. Degaussing equipment further supplemented the vessel's systems.
The ship's crew initially consisted of 49 personnel – 5 officers, 16 non-commissioned officers, and 28 sailors.
Service
Service as a minesweeper (1966–1999)
ORP Flaming was commissioned into the Polish Navy on 27 September 1966. With the pennant number 621, it was assigned to the 13th Minesweeper Division of the , stationed in Hel, and its first commander was Lieutenant Marian Kazubek. The ship's call sign was SQWB. Its tasks included searching for and destroying minefields, conducting reconnaissance and control sweeping, marking navigation channels, and leading ships or formations behind the sweeps. The vessel, along with its sister ships, participated in almost all major Polish naval exercises and Warsaw Pact maneuvers, often assisting in neutralizing unexploded ordnance from World War II. On 10 September 1967, the French President Charles de Gaulle visited the minesweeper. In 1968, ORP Flaming made its first foreign visit, calling at Baltiysk.
In the early 1970s, ORP Flaming was part of the third group of the 13th Minesweeper Division (alongside and ). In 1970, the ship participated in the Reda 70 exercise. From 27 July to 1 August 1972, a group of Polish Navy ships (ORP Flaming, Warszawa, Głogów, Cedynia, , and the tanker Z-5), under the command of Vice Admiral Ludwik Janczyszyn, visited Leningrad. In 1972, Flaming was awarded the title of the best third-class ship in both the 9th Coastal Defense Flotilla and the Polish Navy. In 1973, the ship participated in mine clearance operations in the area designated for the construction of the Northern Port in Gdańsk. In June 1975, following the Polish Navy’s implementation of a variable numbering system, the ship's pennant number was changed to 651. That same month, the ship participated in the Posejdon-75 exercise. In mid-1976, the ship's designation was changed again, this time to 676. The vessel returned to its original pennant number (621) in mid-1978. From 4 to 26 May 1983, the minesweeper took part in the large-scale naval exercises Reda-83. In 1988, Flaming participated in the Nysa-Odra ’88 exercise.
Throughout its long service, the ship's radio-electronic equipment underwent modernization: the Lin-M radar was replaced by the newer TRN-823, the Kremnij-2 identification friend or foe system was replaced with Nichrom-RR, and a second SRN-206 radar station was added. The outdated Rym-K radionavigation system was replaced by the more modern Bras (with a Hals receiver), and British Decca navigation receivers (Pirs-1M) were installed. In the first half of the 1980s, the minesweeper’s anti-aircraft armament was strengthened with the installation of two quadruple Fasta-4M launchers for 9K32 Strela-2M anti-aircraft missiles (with a total of 16 missiles) on either side of the funnel. The minesweeping equipment was also upgraded: the MT-2 contact sweep was modernized to the MT-2W variant (with explosive cutters), and new Polish TEM-PE-2 electromagnetic and BGAT high-speed deep-water acoustic sweeps were installed. The worn-out FIAT engines were replaced with six-cylinder Sulzer 6AL25/30 diesel engines, each with a maximum output of 1,700 hp (nominally 1,100 hp at 750 rpm).