ORP Sokół (1940)

Sokół as seen in Malta, possibly in 1943
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Urchin
BuilderVickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down9 December 1939
Launched30 September 1940
IdentificationPennant number: N97
FateTransferred to Poland in January 1941
Badge
Poland
NameORP Sokół
Commissioned19 January 1941
IdentificationPennant number: N97
FateReturned to Royal Navy 27 July 1945
United Kingdom
NameHMS Urchin
AcquiredTransferred from Poland on 27 July 1945
Recommissioned3 August 1946
DecommissionedDecember 1948
IdentificationPennant number: N97
FateScrapped September 1949
General characteristics
Class & typeU-class submarine
Displacement
  • Surfaced - 540 tons standard, 630 tons full load
  • Submerged - 730 tons
Length58.22 m (191.0 ft)
Beam4.9 m (16 ft)
Draught4.62 m (15.2 ft)
Installed power
  • Diesel: 615 hp (459 kW)
  • Electric: 825 hp (615 kW)
Propulsion
  • 2 shaft diesel-electric
  • 2 Paxman Ricardo diesel generators + electric motors
Speed
  • 11.25 knots (20.8 km/h) max surfaced
  • 10 knots (19 km/h) max submerged
Complement27-31
Armament

ORP Sokół (Polish: Falcon) was a U-class submarine (formerly HMS Urchin) built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. Shortly after launching in September 1940 she was to be commissioned by the Royal Navy as HMS Urchin, but instead was leased to the Polish Navy due to a lack of experienced submarine crews. A sister boat to Dzik, both boats operated in the Mediterranean from Malta, where they became known as the "Terrible Twins".