Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1497523
„Pomorzanin", it served as a survey ship. Further vessels were manufactured at the domestic shipyards, according to proprietary designs. The second vessel named „Mewa" - A jaskółka-class mi- nesweeper - was commissioned in 1936. The vessel in question did survive the war. Then it was used as the D-46 patrol vessel - until 1970. The third Mewa - 206F minesweeper - was commissio- ned in 1967 and remained in service until 2019. In the late 1990s, it underwent an upgrade, to the 206FM standard. As a minehunter, Mewa was frequently involved in the NATO mine countermeasu- re group operations. The experience and know-how accumulated during the modification and the use of Mewa in the minehunting role have been used to formulate assumptions for the Project 258 program. From the point of view of the national interest, it shall be perceived that distinguishes the series-manufactured Project 258 vessels, from the ORP „Kormoran" prototype using the 23 mm Wróbel gun. All of the systems are managed through the SCOT-M suite, develo- ped at OBR-CTM S.A. The vessels have been manufactured out of austenitic steel - diminishing the vessel's magnetic signature and protecting them from magnetic fuses. The texture of this material is a signature feature of the Kormoran MCMVs. The keel for ORP Mewa was laid on October 10th, 2019, and the vessel was launched on December 17th, 2020. The new vessel is the fourth warship operated by the Polish Navy bearing this name. All previous vessels had also been tasked with minehun- ting. Interestingly, all of them went through serious modifications throughout their service life. The first one, an FM-class mineswe- eper procured in 1920, served until the early 1930s. Then, as ORP NAVY