ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki

ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki
Career (Poland)
Name:	ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki
Namesake:	Xawery Czernicki
Builder:	Northern Shipyard Gdańsk
Laid down:	August 16, 2000
Launched:	November 16, 2000
Commissioned:	September 1, 2001
Status:	Active service
General characteristics
Displacement:	2,390
Length:	73.8 m (242 ft 2 in)
Beam:	13.8 m (45 ft 3 in)
Draft:	5.6 m (18 ft 4 in)
Speed:	14.1 knots (26.1 km/h/16.2 mph)
Armament:	1 × short range antiaircraft complex ZU-23-2MR Wróbel-II 1 × II 23 mm (0.91 in) cannon with 1xII Strela 2M missile launcher)

ORP Kontradmiral Xawery Czernicki is a multitask logistic support ship of the Polish Navy. The ship's design was based on a hull of the 130 class degaussing station planned by the Construction Bureau of the Refurbishing Shipyard in Gdańsk. The hull was ordered by the Russian Navy, but the contract was halted and it was decided to complete the ship for the Polish Navy. She was named after Xawery Czernicki.

The ship was built at the Northern Shipyard in Gdańsk. She is so far the biggest ship ever built at the Polish shipyards for the Polish Navy. The only ship of her class, she was designed as a logistic support vessel, able to transport large quantities of troops and supplies for the NATO forces worldwide, as well as to cooperate with air transport and Polish vessels at distant seas. It may transport up to 140 troops with vehicles, food and equipment, she also enables conducting offensive landing operations by means of landing ships, helicopters and armoured personnel carriers, as well as tasks of evacuation of troops and civilians from enemy territory. The ship is also equipped for transport of containers, fresh water, food and other supplies, as well as for repairing friendly vessels at open seas.

The ship took part in the Afghan and Iraq wars. During operation Enduring Freedom it joined the United States Fifth Fleet in the Indian Ocean. After change of crew it took part in the Iraq invasion. During the invasion the vessel patrolled the Euphrates estuary and served as a floating base for commando operations.

After the conclusion of the invasion she returned to home port in Poland for refit and upgrades.

External links

• Technical characteristics