ORP Mewa (1935)

ORP Mewa was a minesweeper of the Polish Navy, serving from 1935 until sunk during the Invasion of Poland in September 1939. The ship belonged to the Jaskółka-class minesweepers, a group of six vessels designed and built in Poland in the mid-1930s.

Mewa (meaning "Seagull" in Polish) was built at the River Vistula Shipyard in Modlin, Poland. These minesweepers were intended to modernize the Polish fleet and provide coastal defense. They were relatively small and lightly armed, intended primarily for sweeping mines and patrol duties.

During the German invasion in September 1939, ORP Mewa actively participated in the defense of the Polish coast. On September 1, 1939, she was attacked and sunk by German Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers in the naval port of Oksywie near Gdynia. The ship was lost with a significant portion of its crew. The wreck remained on the seabed for many years.

The name Mewa has been reused by the Polish Navy for subsequent vessels, highlighting the historical significance and symbolic value associated with the original ship.