Mamert Stankiewicz
Captain Mamert Stankiewicz | |
|---|---|
Mamert Stankiewicz on board M/S Piłsudski | |
| Nickname(s) | Znaczy Kapitan |
| Born | 22 January 1889 Mitau, Courland |
| Died | 26 November 1939 (aged 50) North Sea |
| Allegiance | Poland |
| Branch | Imperial Russian Navy Polish Navy |
| Years of service | 1900-1939 |
| Rank | Lieutenant commander Captain (merchant marine) |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Virtuti Militari Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) |
| Other work | writer of maritime history |
Mamert Stankiewicz (22 January 1889 – 26 November 1939) was a Polish naval officer of the merchant marine, the commander of Lwów, Polonia and finally captain of the Polish ocean liner Piłsudski, which was incorporated into the UK Royal Navy and converted into the ship transporting British and Polish soldiers during World War II. On 26 November 1939, Pilsudski was torpedoed by German U-boat, and Stankiewicz, after inspecting the entire sinking ship to ensure that there were no sailors and soldiers left behind, and after rescuing sailors and soldiers from the ice-cold Northern Atlantic, died of exhaustion. Stankiewicz's life was immortalized by Karol Olgierd Borchardt, whose series of books on Stankiewicz became a best-seller among Polish maritime books.