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Allied Warships

ORP Sokol (N 97)

Submarine of the U class

NavyThe Polish Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassU 
PennantN 97 
Built byVickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down9 Dec, 1939 
Launched30 Sep, 1940 
Commissioned28 Jan, 1941 
End service27 Jul, 1945 
Loss position
 
HistoryHMS Urchin was loaned to the Polish Navy on 11 January 1941. She was commissioned as ORP Sokol (Falcon) on 28 January 1941.

She was returned to the Royal Navy on 27 July 1945. She was scrapped in 1949. 

Former nameHMS Urchin

Noteable events involving Sokol include:

28 Oct, 1941
ORP Sokol (Lt.Cdr. B. Karnicki) fires four torpedoes against the Italian Citta di Palermo (5413 GRT) west of Isola d'Ischia, Italy in position 40º42'N, 13º47'E. The torpedoes missed their target. (see map)

2 Nov, 1941
ORP Sokol (Lt.Cdr. B. Karnicki) and HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) together sink the Italian merchant Balilla (2469 GRT) about 20 nautical miles north-west of Capo San Vito, Sicily, Italy in position 38º22'N, 12º20'E. (see map)

19 Nov, 1941
Torpedoed and damaged the Italian destroyer Aviere (1645 tons) in Navarino harbour.

12 Feb, 1942
ORP Sokol (Lt.Cdr. B. Karnicki) sinks the Italian auxiliary patrol vessel Giuseppina (392 GRT) with gunfire about 30 nautical miles south of Sfax, Tunisia in position 34º15'N, 10º55'E. (see map)

12 Sep, 1943
Sokol sinks the Italian costoms vessel AS 71 / Meattini (36 GRT) through ramming off Brindisi, Italy.

7 Oct, 1943
Around 0710 hours ORP Sokol torpedoes and sinks the Italian passenger vessel (in German service) Eridania (7095 GRT) off Cape Promontore (today Cape Kamenjak in Kroatia).

11 Nov, 1943
ORP Sokol sinks the Greek sailing vessel Argentina (64 GRT) with gunfire off Amorgos, Greece.

18 Nov, 1943
ORP Sokol sinks a sailing vessel with gunfire of Santorini island, Greece.

19 Nov, 1943
ORP Sokol sinks two sailing vessels and the German auxiliary submarine chaser Mowe (60 GRT) with gunfire north of Crete.

12 Dec, 1943
ORP Sokol sinks four Greek sailing vessels with gunfire off Lemnos Island, Greece.

16 Dec, 1943
ORP Sokol sinks a Greek sailing vessel with gunfire east of Mudros, Lemnos Island, Greece.

17 Dec, 1943
Around 0700hours ORP Sokol torpedoes and damaged the Bulgarian troop transport Balkan (3838 GRT) near Mudros, Lemnos Island, Greece.

The Balkan finally was sunk on 23 December by HMS Sportsman.

12 Jan, 1944
ORP Sokol sinks a Greek sailing vessel with gunfire about 15 nautical miles south-east of Cape Stili, Milos Island, Greece in position 36º30'N, 24º44'E. (see map)



Books dealing with this subject include:

Stand by to Surface, Baxter, Richard, 1944


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