ORP Mewa (1966)

ORP Mewa after reconstruction in 2011
History
Poland
NameORP Mewa
BuilderStocznia Gdynia
Laid downJuly 18, 1966
LaunchedDecember 22, 1966
CommissionedMay 21, 1967
DecommissionedDecember 30, 2019
General characteristics
Class and typeminesweeper, minehunter
Typeprojekt 206F-class minesweeper [pl], projekt 206FM-class minehunter
Displacement
  • standard: 426 t (419 long tons)
  • full: 470 t (460 long tons)
Length58.2 m (190 ft 11 in)
Draft2.14 m (7 ft 0 in)
Propulsion
Speed18.4 kn (34.1 km/h; 21.2 mph)
Range2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at a speed of 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement49
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament

ORP Mewa is a Polish base minesweeper from the Cold War era, one of a series of 12 vessels of Projekt 206F [pl], converted between 1998 and 1999 to a minehunter of Projekt 206FM. The unit 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 double sets of 25 mm 2M-3M autocannons and depth charges, and was also adapted for transporting and deploying naval mines.

Pennant number on the superstructure (after conversion)

It was launched on 22 December 1966 at Stocznia Gdynia, and it was commissioned into the Polish Navy on 21 May 1967. The unit, designated with the pennant number 623, initially served in the 13th Minesweeper Division of the 9th Coastal Defense Flotilla [pl] in Hel, and after its dissolution in 2006, it was assigned to the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla. In 1987, Pope John Paul II visited the vessel. ORP Mewa was part of NATO's standing mine countermeasure forces four times and participated in many international maneuvers and exercises, neutralizing dangerous remnants from World War II in Polish and foreign waters.

The intensively used ship was removed from the fleet list in December 2019. During its 52 years of service, it covered over 800,000 nautical miles and neutralized 131 dangerous underwater objects.