Polish submarine force faces solitary confinement
The Polish submarine force will be reduced to a single boat by the end of 2021, throwing into even starker relief the long-standing need to expand the fleet.
The Polish Navy will formally decommission two of its remaining Kobben-class diesel-electric submarines, ORP Sep and ORP Bielik, leaving the fleet with a single barely operational boat: the Soviet-era Kilo-class ORP Orzel.
According to an announcement last month by the Polish Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, both vessels will be decommissioned by the end of 2021.
Following their withdrawal they will be transferred to the Military Property Agency, which will decide on their subsequent fate. The submarines might be converted into training platforms for new cadets, kept in a museum or sold for scrap.
Decommissioning of Sep
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