Eugeniusz Pławski

Eugeniusz Józef Stanisław Pławski (March 26, 1895 – May 23, 1972) was a Polish Navy officer who served in World War I and World War II. He was the commander of the ORP Piorun (G65) during the hunt for Bismarck.

Eugeniusz Pławski
Born(1895-03-26)March 26, 1895
Novorossiysk, Russian Empire
DiedMay 23, 1972(1972-05-23) (aged 77)
Vancouver, Canada
AllegianceRussian Empire up to 1918, Poland
Service/branch Imperial Russian Navy
 Polish Navy Poland
Years of service1914–1948
Rank komandor commodore
Commands heldZorkiy
ORP Czajka
ORP Mewa
ORP Generał Haller
ORP Żbik
Ouragan
ORP Piorun
HMS Dragon
submarine flotilla
destroyer flotilla
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsCross of Valour
Cross of Merit (Poland) (Golden Cross)
Navy Medal
Order of the Dannebrog
Legion of Honour
Order of Vasa
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
ORP Piorun

Biography

Early years

Born in Novorossiysk he was the son of Aleksander Pławski, a brigadier general in the Imperial Russian Army. Eugeniusz was graduated from the Sea Cadet Corps in Khabarovsk and from the Sea Cadet Corps in Saint Petersburg, he also finished the Naval Aviation School in Sevastopol and the submarine navigation course in Toulon.

Great War

He began his career in 1914 as a midshipman in the Black Sea Fleet fighting the entire war against Bulgarians, Turks and Germans. He became a watch officer on the destroyer Derzky. From 1916 he was the aide-de-camp to the commander of the 2nd destroyer flotilla then he served in the torpedo brigade and in the anti-submarine defense. In 1917 he became the navigation officer on the destroyer Gnevny. After the outbreak of the revolution he assumed command of the destroyer Zorkiy.

Interwar period

After the rebirth of Poland he came to Warsaw and was accepted to the Polish Navy. He was an operations officer in the river port Modlin, then he served in the Marine battalion with which he participated in the liberation of Pomerania. During the Poland's Wedding to the Sea he gave the order to hoist the Flag of Poland. In 1920 he took command of the naval base in Puck. From 1924 he commanded the following ships: minesweepers ORP Czajka and ORP Mewa and the gunboat ORP General Haller. In 1927 he was appointed as the director of science in the Navy school of specialists. In the years 1928 – 1931 he led the Polish submarine navigation course in France. In 1931 he became commander of the submarine ORP Żbik. In the years 1932 – 1936 he took command of the submarine flotilla. In 1936 he was transferred to the Polish Navy Command. In 1939 he was sent on a mission to France seeking military assistance in case of Third Reich's invasion of Poland.

World War II

At the outbreak of war, he stayed in France and tried to form an aid convoy for Poland. Then he was sent to London. In 1940 he assumed command of the French destroyer Ouragan transferred to the Polish Navy. On October 24, 1940 he became commander of ORP Piorun[1][2] on which he escorted convoys on the Atlantic and Mediterranean. During the hunt for the Bismarck, on May 26, 1941 he spotted and engaged the German battleship.[2][3] From 1941 to 1943 he was a military attaché in Sweden. On May 15, 1943 he took command of the cruiser ORP Dragon. In 1944 he became chief of staff of the Polish Navy.

In exile

After the dissolution of the Polish Armed Forces in the West Pławski gave the banner and the flag of Polish Navy to the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London. In 1946 – 1947 he commanded a transit camp in Okehampton. In 1948 he moved to Canada. From 1952 to 1972 he worked as a translator for the government of Canada.

Eugeniusz Pławski died on May 22, 1973 in Vancouver. He was buried in The Gardens of Gethsemani Cemetery. On June 16, 2004 his ashes were brought to Poland and buried in the Polish Navy cemetery in Gdynia.

Awards and decorations

Cross of Valour[4]
Golden Cross of Merit[4]
Naval Medal[4]
Order of the Dannebrog[4]
Legion of Honour[4]
Order of Vasa[4]
Distinguished Service Cross[5]

Military promotions
Мичман midshipman1914 (Russian Empire)
Капитан-лейтенант sub-lieutenant1917 (Russian Empire)
porucznik lieutenant1918 (Poland)
kapitan lieutenant commander1921 (Poland)
komandor podporucznik commander1931 (Poland)
komandor porucznik captain1935 (Poland)
komandor commodore1942 (Poland)

Notes
  1. Borowiak, Mariusz (2010). "Rosyjskie złoto na Piorunie". Mała flota bez mitów. Nieznane oblicza historii (in Polish). Almapress. pp. 283–289. ISBN 978-83-7020-422-8.
  2. Borowiak, Mariusz (2008). "Ofiara tajemniczej zawiści". Plamy na banderze. Nieznane oblicza historii (in Polish). Almapress. ISBN 978-83-7020-370-2.
  3. Pertek, Jerzy (1987). Wielkie dni małej floty (in Polish). Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie. ISBN 83-210-0542-X.
  4. Encyklopedia polskiej emigracji i Polonii. Vol. 4 (P-S), p. 95
  5. Stanisław Mariusz Piaskowski: Okręty Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej 1920–1946. Sigma Press, 1984, p. 133
gollark: Without it, rednet repeaters can be crashed by sending a string/table/whatever for `nRecipient`.
gollark: Dan200 ignored my relay-crash-fixing PR, naturally.
gollark: ·····…
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gollark: It's like a small, odd frying pan!

References
  • Julian Czerwiński, Małgorzata Czerwińska, Maria Babnis, Alfons Jankowski, Jan Sawicki. "Kadry Morskie Rzeczypospolitej. Tom II. Polska Marynarka Wojenna. Część I. Korpus oficerów 1918–1947." Wyższa Szkoła Morska. Gdynia 1996. (ISBN 83-86703-50-4), Archiwum rodzinne
  • Pławski Eugeniusz Józef Stanisław [W:] "Polski Słownik Biograficzny". Vol. 26 p. 773
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