Most of the anniversary events were taking place in Gdynia. Head of the MoD, representatives
of the General Command of the Armed Forces, representatives of the defense industry and
numerous VIPs all attended the celebrations.
The history of the ORP "Ślązak" patrol corvette dates to the year 2000, when the Polish Navy
began the Gawron program aimed at creating seven multi-role corvettes. These vessels were
to become the strike core of the fleet in the first half of the 21st Century. It was in Novem-
ber 2001 when the prototype keel was laid in Gdynia. As it turned out later on, this was the
sole vessel that the Polish industry managed to create. The design was based on the German
MEKO A-100 frigate with the license procured from the Germans. What's interesting, despite
the "heritage", the parties involved decided to build the first vessel of the class in Poland, not
Germany. This may have played a role in the formation of the fact that 18 years have passed,
from the keel-laying ceremony until the commissioning.
POLISH
NAVY
