Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/581692
The ceremony brought to Gdynia the most important persons in our country, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Tomasz Siemoniak. It could not be completed without former commanders of the Polish Navy. Mrs. Maria Waga, widow of former Commander of Polish Navy Admiral Romuald Waga, became the God Mother of the vessel. Let us remind ourselves that – according to the planes from the turn of the century – the Polish Navy was to receive a batch of seven multi-purpose corvettes based on the German MEKO A-100 design. Due to difficult to explain reasons from a very beginning it was decided that a prototype will be developed at the Naval Shipyard, not in Germany. As history shows that caused a ship will be finally commissioned in November 2016 roughly 15 years after a keel was laid. Both Poland and Germany would not disport themselves for so many years in postponing a construction or a non-expenditure construction. The plans were ambitious but the Navy has never had enough support among decision-makers in Warsaw and – as it is easy to suppose – it has always been the first on the list for budget cuts. Instead of seven 621-type multi-purpose corvettes, Naby had to content themselves with a pair of used Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates which apart from a combat potential needed also funds for a modernization (as in Turkey or Australia), and certainly there was a lack of them. An important moment of the ship construction program was December 2013 – then, after a great deal of spectacular political decisions bringing a program back to life agreement between the Armament Inspectorate and the Naval Shipyard on finishing a vessel in the patrol standard was concluded and contracts for supplying of the lacking elements of equipment and armor were signed. The latter will ensure the Thales Group which is to deliver an Integrated Combat System – a majority of its components will be similar to those applied on boards of the 151/660M type vessels. With regard to the political issues a patrol www.fragoutmag.com