First post-war launch in Poland
Most likely, this event is connected with the famous Gdansk Soldek, but here they are wrong. Rudowąglowiec Sołdek is the first ship entirely built in Poland. Only his master documentation was produced by the French shipyard Augustin Normand in Le Havre. However, the first ship launched in our country was Oliwa, which took place almost 7 months before the launch of Sołdek. Its creators were mainly shipyard workers from Gdynia. They were assisted by only a few colleagues from Szczecin, it was also the first bulk carrier built in Poland and working in regular traffic. Earlier than other ships after the war, she also performed her first transport service, which consisted of the transport from Szczecin to Gdańsk of a crane, launching skids, anchor chains and machines, simultaneously handled as ballast. The history of this unit did not have such influence and favor of the authorities as the history of Soldek. One of the reasons was that the Germans started its construction, and in the official report it would not look the best.
The construction of general cargoes of the Hansa A type was started by the Germans from the laying of the keel on July 1, 1943 at the Stettiner Oderwerke shipyard. It was the state contract of the shipowner Argo Rederey from Bremen (building number 852). The name of the ship was Olivia. Such units were massively built in Germany and in occupied Belgium, the Netherlands and even in Denmark. However, in April 1945, the Soviet army captured the ship, which was still on the slipway. Previously, the Germans intended to sink it in the Oder and block the river, but they did not succeed. During the war and an air raid, Allied bombs hit the hold of the Olivia and, breaking through the bottom of the ship, caused serious damage to the hull. They also damaged the ramp.
As part of the post-war reconstruction and division of the former German fleet, the cargo ship was transferred to Poland. In September 1947, a decision was made in our country to restore the shipbuilding industry, and in October it was decided to finish off Olivia. It was ordered by GAL (Gdynia - America Shipping Lines) and then its name was changed to Oliwa.
This was a difficult task for the Szczecin "Odra", mainly due to the lack of appropriate specialists, equipment and tools. That is why the Union of Polish Shipyards entrusted the work to the Gdynia Shipyard, which had more experience and capabilities. Since the hull could not be transported, it was decided to send a delegation from this plant to Szczecin. Shipyard Technical Director, Ing. Mechislav Filipovich selected 24 of his best specialists, and in the summer of 1947 they went there with tools and all the equipment. They found terrible conditions there, ruins everywhere
and ashes. The shipyard "Odra" was destroyed by 90% during the war, gradually put into operation from June 1947.
Therefore, the life of the Gdynia delegation was difficult, and the work was not easy. Elderly shipyard workers lived in the house of the ZSP delegation on the street. Mateiki 6, and the younger ones in tenement houses abandoned by the Germans. It also happened that when they came home from work, they did not find their things. Robberies and thefts were on the agenda, and it was scary to go out in the evenings. Soup was always eaten for lunch from a common boiler, and breakfast and dinner were organized independently. The rusty hull, which the Gdynia found on the slipway, was in a deplorable state. Before the evacuation, the Germans made special cutouts in the aft plating. In addition, the marauders who raided the shipyard stripped the ship of everything, even taking wooden scaffolding for fuel.
At the Odra shipyard itself, the assigned task began with the arrangement of the slipway, and above all with the supply of water and electricity to it. Everywhere they could, in other factories and city nooks and crannies, they looked for various materials useful for work, such as sheets, boards, ropes, wire, screws, rivets, nails, etc.
The whole task was developed and headed by Ing. Felix Kamensky, and he was assisted by Eng. Zygmunt Slivinsky and Andrzej Robakiewicz, who just graduated from the Gdansk Polytechnic University. All work on the slipway was supervised by the senior master of shipbuilding Peter Dombrovsky. Master Jan Zornak and carpenters worked with him: Ludwik Jocek, Józef Fonke, Jacek Gwizdala and Warmbier. The equipment was handled by: dock foreman Stefan Sviontek and riggers - Ignacy Cichos and Leon Muma. Master Boleslav Przybylsky led the corps of Pavel Goretsky, Kazimir Maychzhak and Klemens Petta. They were also accompanied by: Bronisław Dobbek, shipyard sailing fleet manager from Gdynia, Mieczysław Goczek, welder, Wawrzyniec Fandrewski, welder, Tomasz Michna, fitter Konrad Hildebrandt, diver Franciszek Pastuszko, Bronisław Starzyński and Wiktor Wróblewski. They had to replace the leaky skin plates and fill in the missing parts. Some of the best shipyard workers from the Szczecin "Odra", led by engineer. Vladislav Tarnovsky.
On November 15, 1947, Glos Szczecinski wrote: “The well-coordinated and selfless work of the Gdynia team has a very important educational value. For the workers of Odra, this is not only an example of discipline, conscientious attitude to business and courage - the most conscientious shipyard workers assigned to the "guests" to help do not miss the opportunity to learn more, acquire a responsible and valuable job as a shipbuilder and create a team of professionals soon
in "Audre".
