On Tuesday, March 25, the museum ship ORP Sokół will be made available to visitors at the Naval Museum in Gdynia. Placed at the outdoor exhibition at the Seaside Boulevard, it will be a great attraction for tourists and lovers of naval rights.
The official opening ceremony of the submarine will take place on Monday. Those willing to visit can book tickets for Tuesday and the following days.
The ship has been specially prepared for sightseeing. On the bow and stern, communication holes were burned for entering and exiting the ship. At the stern, one of the diesel engines was removed to facilitate the path to the tour. Despite this, and above all due to the small size of the ship, its interior is very cramped.
Visitor traffic will take place only in one direction. In order to comply with safety rules, tickets will be sold at a specific time and for a certain number of people who will be able to visit the interior of the ship at the same time.
The ship will also be able to be carefully viewed from the outside. It is perfectly visible to walkers from the side of the Seaside Boulevard, as well as to visitors from the side of the outdoor exhibition of the Museum of the Navy.
In addition, visitors will be able to go down to the bottom of the basin in which the ship is parked. Thanks to this, it will be possible to take a close look at the underwater part of the hull, the propeller, rudders and draught, and see a mock-up of the torpedo that is just being fired from the torpedo tube.
Inside, practically the entire ship is made available for passage or to look into individual rooms. Several specially placed mannequins of sailors will show them during service and rest.
Thanks to the courtesy of the Management of the Museum of the Polish Navy in Gdynia, the editors of Defence24.pl had the opportunity to see the ORP Sokół submarine a few days before its opening.
We hope that the following dozen or so photos, taken during the last preparatory works, will encourage all interested to come to Gdynia quickly.
