Polish support bolsters Ukrainian naval training and rebuilds fleet
Poland supports Ukraine not only with equipment but also by training Ukrainian soldiers, including sailors. According to the Ukrainian Naval Forces Institute, cadets from Ukraine are undergoing training on the sailing ship ORP Iskra and the training vessel ORP Wodnik.
8:13 PM EDT, July 22, 2024
Despite losing all larger ships – including the flagship frigate Hetman Sahaydachny – Ukraine aims to rebuild its naval forces. To this end, it ordered two Ada-class corvettes from Turkey. The first of these, Hetman Ivan Mazepa, began sea trials in May 2024.
Ukraine is also striving to acquire modern submarines. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk made a call a year ago to transfer a German Type 212A submarine.
Personnel for future Ukrainian ships are being trained outside the country, including aboard the Polish vessel ORP Wodnik. The Ukrainian Naval Forces Institute's profile shared information on this.
According to the Ukrainians, the cadets, along with their Polish colleagues, will master skills in navigation, astronavigation, hydrometeorology, and maneuvering; familiarize themselves with ship organization according to NATO standards; learn about basic technical aspects of the ship; and improve their English.
ORP Wodnik – Polish training vessel
ORP Wodnik is a Project 888 unit designed in the 1970s in Poland and built in a short series for Warsaw Pact countries. The Naval Academy in Gdynia operates one unit of this type.
ORP Wodnik has a displacement of 1,924 tons and is slightly over 236 feet long. It was designed from the ground up as a training unit. Therefore, besides the 56-man crew, there is space on board for a 100-person training crew.
In addition to its training function, the ship was converted into a hospital unit during Operation Desert Storm, with its armament removed and space on its aft reserved for a helicopter landing pad.
The current armament of the ship is limited to defensive systems – an automatic AK-230 30mm anti-aircraft gun, a ZU-23-2M Wróbel 23mm set, and a 45mm ceremonial cannon.
