September 17, 1939 daring escape of Polish submarine ORP Orzeł from Tallinn

A stricken commander, a neutral port

On 14 September 1939, less than two weeks after Germany’s invasion of Poland, the submarine ORP Orzeł surfaced off the coast of Estonia. Her commander, Commander Henryk Kłoczkowski, had fallen gravely ill, and the vessel’s engines were failing. Seeking medical aid, the Poles entered the neutral harbour of Tallinn under full lights and the red-and-white naval flag.

Kłoczkowski was taken to hospital the following day, leaving command in the hands of his capable and determined executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Jan Grudziński.

Interned in “neutral” Estonia

Estonia, squeezed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, bowed to diplomatic pressure. The Polish submarine was formally interned: torpedoes unloaded, weapons dismantled, and navigation equipment seized. Guards were placed on board, while crews worked to strip the vessel.

But the Poles were not prepared to give up their ship. Deliberately slowing down the dismantling process, cutting mooring ropes, and secretly scouting escape routes, the sailors plotted their way out.

The great escape

On the night of 17–18 September 1939, Grudziński gave the order to act. Guards were overpowered, telephone cables cut, and the diesel engines roared into life. Searchlights lit the harbour, coastal batteries opened fire, but Orzeł slipped out under the cover of night.

To evade pursuit, the submarine dived to the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, lying motionless until darkness fell. Then she surfaced and steered westward — into hostile seas.

No charts, no safety net

The escape came at a terrible cost: Estonian authorities had confiscated all maps and much of the navigation gear. Grudziński and his men were forced to rely on memory, makeshift sketches, and the stars to guide them.

Yet, against the odds, Orzeł crossed the Baltic and the North Sea. After weeks of peril, she reached the safety of Britain, joining the Polish destroyers ORP Burza, Błyskawica, and Grom — the core of Poland’s exiled navy.

Heroism and tragedy

Under British command, Orzeł soon returned to combat. In April 1940, Grudziński struck a blow against the Germans, sinking the transport ship Rio de Janeiro — a vessel secretly carrying troops for Hitler’s invasion of Norway.

But just weeks later, in June 1940, the submarine vanished on patrol. Whether lost to a mine or mistaken friendly fire, Orzeł never returned. Her 60-man crew — young, loyal, and fiercely brave — perished with their ship.

Grudziński, only 33 years old, entered legend as the commander who refused to accept captivity and led his men to freedom.

Legacy of the “Orzeł”

The escape from Tallinn became one of the great naval stories of the Second World War — a symbol of Polish resilience at sea even as the homeland fell under occupation. For the men of Orzeł, it was proof that courage and determination could snatch victory from hopeless odds.

Today, the memory of Orzeł and her crew lives on not only in history books but also in culture. In 2020, Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance released a board game, ORP Orzeł, allowing players to relive the submarine’s dangerous journey across the Baltic, hunted by the Kriegsmarine.

For Poles, the submarine remains more than a warship — it is a legend, a testament to a navy that fought on when the country itself had been carved up by its enemies.