On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at the Remontowa Shipbuilding shipyard in Gdańsk, the christening and launching of the minehunter 258/4 took place. During the christening ceremony, the ship was named Jaskółka (pronounced yaskoowka, Polish for swallow) by its godmother, Małgorzata Zdonek, the wife of Rear Admiral Krzysztof Zdonek.
Ship 258/4 in dock no. 2 at the Remontowa Shipyard ready for launching / Photos: Przemysław Gurgurewicz, MILMAG
After the christening ceremony, crowned with the smashing of a champagne bottle against the hull, it was time to launch the ship. Since all minehunters of project 258 are launched using a floating dock, this procedure takes quite a bit of time. In the first stage, which began after 1:30 PM, the dock along with Jaskółka was towed away from the quay to deeper waters. An hour later, the slow submersion of the dock began. After about half an hour, when the ship was afloat, a team began inspecting the hull for leaks. After successfully completing the inspection, further submersion of the dock could proceed. Upon its full submersion at 4:05 PM, the tug Nosorożec G-01 took the tow and the towing of Jaskółka began. The complete exit from the dock occurred around 4:12 PM, and less than 10 minutes later, the newly built minehunter was moored at the shipyard’s outfitting quay.
The godmother of “Jaskółka,” Małgorzata Zdonek, accompanied by the ship’s commander, Lt. Cmdr. Kamil Kalina, and the president of Remontowa Shipbuilding, Dariusz Jaguszewski
The future ORP Jaskółka is the first of three project 258 ships of the second series intended for the 12th Wolin Minesweeper Squadron of the 8th Coastal Defense Flotilla, stationed in Świnoujście. The order for these ships, valued at 2.49 billion PLN (ca. 620 million USD), was approved on June 26, 2022. The construction of the ships is the responsibility of a consortium consisting of Remontowa Shipbuilding, PGZ Stocznia Wojenna, and the Research and Development Center for Maritime Technology (CTM), all part of the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ).
Traditional names have been chosen for the ships: Jaskółka (Swallow), Czajka (chayka, Lapwing), and Rybitwa (Tern). Currently, two units are already under construction – the just-launched 258/4 (steel cutting took place on March 28, 2023, and keel laying on July 25, 2023) and 258/5, whose keel was laid on March 20, 2024. The construction of the last of the trio – 258/6 – is scheduled to begin with the cutting of the first steel plates in October. The completion of construction and delivery of the entire series to the client is expected to occur in July 2026, and March and October 2027, respectively.
A commemorative photo of the godmother with the crew of Jaskółka and the commander of the 12th Wolin Minesweeper Squadron, Commander Sławomir Góra
Currently, there are three project 258 ships in service, which are part of the 13th Minesweeper Squadron in Gdynia. The flags were raised on the following ships: the prototype ORP Kormoran on November 28, 2017, and on the two serial ships: ORP Albatros on November 28, 2022, and ORP Mewa (Gull) on February 14, 2023. The contract for the construction of the prototype was signed on September 23, 2013, and shortly after it entered service, on December 27, 2017, a contract for two more ships was signed. The current contract for three ships is the third and, as it appears, the final order for project 258 minehunters for the Polish Navy, which should have six ships of this type by the end of 2027.
Photo Gallery:
