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Friday, 13 August 2021

The Polish naval bases for landing craft according to a CIA report dated 17 February 1955

An item reported that the Polish navy had 3 bases for landing craft namely at Daiwnow (Dievenov), Gdynia and during the summer at Hel and at Swinoujscie (Swinemünde). The available landing crafts consisted of 4 types, namely large (BDD=Barka Desantowa Dusa), medium (BDS=Barka Desantow Srednia), small (BDM=Barka Desantowa Mala)and personnel craft (Lodz Desantowa).

1. Wheelhouse
2. Watertight cabine with an entrance form the port side also used as entrance for the crew
3. Entrance to the engine room
4. Lead-in to fuel tanks
5. Engine room
6. Quarters of the crew consisting of 2 cabins each with 8 bunks. Also below deck aft were the cabin of the commanding officer and galley positioned
7. Water and fuel tanks
8. Bed plate for mounting 2-12mm heavy guns
9. Bad plate with a about 1 metres diameter for mounting 1-8,5cm similar to the one on the Delfin
10. Catwalk round the sides with around 6 movable rails on each side to enable troops to embark. At these points were ion made ladders fixed. The space below the catwalk inside the craft was used as storage room and was fitted out with several doors
11. Hinged ramp

The large landing craft or barge (BDD=Barka Desantowa Dusa was of Russian design, built at Torun, Poland covered in iron with around 0,5centimetres thick plating, a galvanized iron removable roof and duck-boarding covered bottom. The dimensions were circa 40 x 5-6 metres, speed of 6-8 knots and 2-150hp (approximately) Russian 3d 6 type engines. For operating the machinery were 4 mechanics (divided over 2 shifts), one electrician and one artificer. Cargo capacity 4 medium tanks, one Stalin type heavy tank of 3 infantry companies.


1. Wheelhouse
2. Anchor outside on port side
3. Engine room
4. Air chamber
5. Two bunks, one above the other, on either side
6. Bed plate for a heavy machine gun
7. Hinged ramp, the outer wall of which contains holes to let water in
8. Entrance for the crew

The medium sized landing craft or barge( BDS=Barka Desantowa Srednia), of German origin and no longer built in Poland. With as dimensions around 30 x 5 metres, fitted out with 2 engine allowing a speed of around 5 knots and around 05, centimetre thick plating. Cargo capacity 4 small tanks or 2-3 infantry companies. Lacking a catwalk the soldiers were forced to climb over the side when (dis)embarking. The crew’s  quarters (10 bunks) and galley were positioned below the wheelhouse.

The small landing craft or barge (BDM=Barka Desantowa Mala) of similar design as the medium sized were built at Torun and Tosew shipyards. Their length was shorter and the bow ramp higher. Speed 6-8 knots. Stationed in the winter at Hel otherwise at Gdynia. Cargo capacity one tank and one infantry company.


1. The enclosed engine.
2. The superstructure.
3. Benches allowing a few of the soldier to sit, the rest was forced to stand up.

The personnel landing craft were newly of wood with a length of around 12 metres and a minimum speed of 12 knots. Transport capacity was around 40 men. There was one helmsman on board stationed in the bridge on the bow with the steer wheel and rudder positioned in the superstructure about 0,60 metres above the sides of the craft. At that moment were ten of such craft sighted at the Divers’ Wharf, Oksywie, Poland.

Source
The report was published on www.archive.org, document number CIA-RDP80-00810A005700960006-1