Academy of the Navy. Heroes of Westerplatte

Temporary Instructor Courses for Officers (1921)

After the restoration of the independence of the Polish state and the creation of the Polish Navy on November 28, 1918, the country created a naval military education system from scratch. The organization and development of the naval forces from the very beginning demanded a constant increase in the number of officers - naval specialists. The acute need for them, especially for junior officers, as well as the need to have their own national officer corps, led to the organization in the spring of 1920 in Torun of the first Course for river flotilla officers. After the end of the Soviet-Polish war (1919-1921) , which was attended by most of the personnel of the Navy, the creation of a naval officer school began. By order of the head of the Department of Maritime Affairs Kazimierz Porebski from March 20, 1921 in Torun, Temporary Instruction Courses for officers ( Polish Tymczasowe Kursy Instruktorskie dla Oficerów , TIK) were formed, which became the basis for the creation of the subsequent Naval Officer School. The courses carried out the retraining of officers and non-commissioned officers from the ground forces to serve on ships. Applicants who already had military and technical knowledge were accepted for 18-month studies. Theoretical studies included subjects on maritime navigation, the construction of ships and naval weapons, and naval tactics. English was also studied. In the learning process, almost half of the time (8 months) was maritime practice on ships. A total of 39 officers completed the courses.

Naval Officer School (1922)

On October 1, 1922, the head of the Department of Maritime Affairs, Kazimierz Porebski, ordered the creation of the Naval Officer School ( Polish Oficerska Szkoła Marynarki Wojennej, OSMW ) in Torun until November 6, 1922. A new school consisting of only one faculty was to carry out a training program for naval (deck) officers from scratch. In addition to the military environment, candidates were also recruited from among civilians and might not have military and technical knowledge. The first set of cadets took place in the summer of 1923 , and the first graduation of school graduates - October 25, 1925 .

Initially, the training period was 2 years, and in 1924 it was extended to 3 years. Lectures were divided into general-military subjects ( drills , regulations, etc.), marine (navigation, meteorology, weapons, etc.), auxiliary (chemistry, mathematics, physics) and general (law, foreign languages, etc.) ). During the training, cadets spent a total of one year practicing on the ships “Commandant Pilsudski” ( Polish ORP “Komendant Piłsudski” ) and “General Haller” ( Polish ORP “Generał Haller” ), as well as other ships.

Naval Cadet School (1928)

Another change in the name of the School is associated with the reorganization of the military education system of the entire Polish army. In accordance with the decree of the Minister of Military Affairs of Poland, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski on October 19, 1928, the Naval Officer School was renamed the Naval Forces Cadet School ( Polish Szkołą Podchorążych Marynarki Wojennej , SPMW). The system of recruitment and training remained unchanged, but the structure of the school was significantly reorganized. Since 1931, the school began to accept candidates for officers in the Naval Technical Corps of the Navy. For these purposes, 2 faculties were created at the school: marine and technical. The cadets of the Maritime Department practiced mainly on the Iskra ship ( Polish ORP Iskra ), and the technical ones on the Viliya ship ( Polish ORP Wilia ).

In 1935, an administrative department was created to train officers of the maritime administration. New curricula have been developed that meet the requirements of part-time higher education. In 1938, the school moved from Torun to Bydgoszcz .

Until 1932, the school used the direct assistance of teachers and instructors of the French Navy , as well as the experience of Polish officers who had studied in France since 1921, which greatly influenced the program and the training process. Based on the French model, a system of various courses for officers was introduced: officer tactics courses (since 1930), a course of naval artillery officers (since 1932), a signal officer course (since 1932), an officer course of naval aviation observers (since 1933), a course of underwater officers weapons (since 1934), the course of navigation officers (since 1934), as well as the highest course of tactics (since 1938).

In 1928-1939, 173 graduates graduated from the marine faculty of the school, 23 graduated from the technical faculty, 12 from the administrative faculty, and 158 officers were trained at various courses.

With the outbreak of World War II , during the September campaign in Poland, school officers and cadets took an active part in hostilities, but mainly on land. The school itself was evacuated to Pinsk , where it was disbanded on September 12, 1939. Later, some of the officers and cadets of the school were able to get to the UK. There were 60 cadets who had practice on the Iskra and Viliya ships just before the war.

Naval Cadet School (1939)

On November 25, 1939, by order of the Commander of the Polish Navy, Rear Admiral Jerzy Svirsky, the School of Naval Cadets was re-established in Great Britain. The main task of opening the school was initially the completion of the training process for students who were there. Later, cadets of the school were also recruited from among non-commissioned officers and sailors. The training system has not changed much compared to the pre-war era, but cadets practiced on the ships of the Royal Navy of Great Britain . In addition, on September 17, 1943, the School of Navy Reserve Officers ( Polish Szkołą Podchorążych Rezerwy Marynarki Wojennej, SPRMW ) was created, which had a common command with the School of Naval Cadets. The new school trained personnel for the future Polish Navy, which was planned to be created after the end of World War II. The Navy cadet school was first stationed on the Gdynia ship ( Polish ORP Gdynia ) in Plymouth , and then together with the School of Navy Reserve Officers in Bickley and Oakhampton , Devon County . On November 25, 1946, both schools were liquidated. From 1939 to 1946, 125 graduates graduated from the Navy cadet school. 49 officers were graduates of various courses.

Naval Officer School (1946)

On January 18, 1946, the Minister of National Defense of the NDP, Marshal Michal Rol-Zhimersky, ordered the creation of a naval school. And about. On February 1, 1946 Rear Admiral Adam the Mighty, Commander of the Polish Navy, ordered the formation of the Naval Officer School in Gdynia ( Polish. Oficerska Szkoła Marynarki Wojennej, OSMW ). The first year the school worked with a 3-year term of study, which was then increased to 4 years. Candidates who had completed 4 classes of secondary school education were accepted into the school, the preference was given to sailors and non-commissioned officers of the Navy and army officers. The cadets first practiced on the civilian sailboat “Dar Pomorie” ( Polish “Dar Pomorza”). In 1948, the training ship Iskra ( Polish ORP Iskra ) was subordinate to the school, and in 1951 the training ship Zetempovets ( Polish ORP Zetempowiec ), which was returned to its former name Grif in 1957 ( Polish . ORP "Gryf" ). About 500 officers graduated from the Naval Officer School.

Higher Naval School (1955)

By a decree of the Council of Ministers of Poland on June 11, 1955, the Higher School of the Navy ( Polish Wyższa Szkoła Marynarki Wojennej, WSMW ) was established in place of the Naval Officers School, a higher military educational institution with the rights of an academy. The process of converting OSMW to WSMW took place in stages, in fact, in the years 1955-1959, there were two marine schools. In 1956, the Higher School of the Navy was named after the Heroes of Westerplatte . Initially, 4 faculties were created at the School: navigation and communications, naval weapons, technical and correspondence. In 1956, the correspondence faculty was liquidated, and in 1957 other faculties were reorganized into 2 faculties: marine and technical. In 1974 - 1975, the school received a large training ship of Project 888 Vodnik ( Polish ORP Wodnik ) and 3 boats Kursant, Kadet and Elev ( Polish OORP Podchorąży, Kadet, " Elew "). In 1976, the training ship "Vulture" was replaced by a new one, also of project 888 , with the same name. The ships of the school were organized into a single group of training ships.

The training program for navigation and mechanics at the school was similar to civilian maritime universities, it was supplemented by combined-arms subjects and the study of naval weapons. Graduates of both faculties received the profession of a professional engineer. Graduates of the Maritime Department could apply for admission to the Officer Improvement Course and the Higher Course for Commanders, after which they became certified officers. In 1959, a master's program was opened for graduates of the technical faculty. In 1968, the School of Podofitserov Navy was opened.

About 2,000 officers and 800 sub-officers graduated from the Higher School of the Navy.

Academy of the Navy (1987)

On July 17, 1987, the Sejm NDP passed a law transforming the Higher School of the Navy into the Academy of the Navy ( Polish Akademia Marynarki Wojennej, AMW ), with university status. Initially, the Academy had the structure of a former school. At the end of the 90s, a magistracy was introduced in the military areas of study, since 1996, students have been openly studying civilian specialties: navigation, mechanics, international relations and pedagogy. In 1994, a group of training ships was disbanded, and the ships themselves were transferred to the division of the training and research ships of the 3rd Fleet of ships of the Polish Navy. In 2002, the School of Sub-Officers of the Navy was liquidated. The faculty of command and control was created, then transformed into the faculty of command and naval operations, which received the right to confer academic titles in the field of military sciences. In 2008, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences was established. In June 1999, women were admitted to the Academy for the first time.

In 2012, the Academy celebrated the 90th anniversary of the Polish naval education.

• Academy Command

• Faculty of Navigation and Naval Weapons ( Polish. Wydział Nawigacji i Uzbrojenia Okrętowego )
  • Institute of Navigation and Marine Hydrography
  • Institute of Naval Arms and Computer Science
  • Institute of Hydroacoustics
  • Department of ship operation
• Faculty of Mechanics and Electrical ( Polish. Wydział Mechaniczno-Elektryczny )
  • Institute for Design and Operation of Ships
  • Institute of Technology Basics
  • Department of Mathematics and Physics
• Faculty of Management and Maritime Operations ( Polish. Wydział Dowodzenia i Operacji Morskich )
  • Institute of Maritime Operations
  • National Security Institute
  • Center for Analysis and Forecasting of Marine Safety of the State
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences ( Polish. Wydział Nauk Humanistycznych i Społecznych )
  • Institute of International Relations
  • Institute of Pedagogy
  • Department of Marine Science
• School of the Study of General Sea Sciences ( Polish. Studium Ogólnomorskie )
• School of the study of combined arms sciences ( Polish. Studium Ogólnowojskowe )
• School of Foreign Languages ​​( Polish. Studium Języków Obcych )
• Training Center
• Center for Continuing Education ( Polish: Centrum Doskonalenia Kursowego )
• Education department
• Department of Science
• Security Department
• Financial department
• Main library

Rector-commandant (from January 23, 2015 ) - commander, professor Dr. Sc. Tomasz Shubrycht ( Polish. T omasz Szubrycht ) ^[1] .

During the academic year, about 8,000 students, cadets and officers study at the Academy. Annual enrollment (beginning of classes in October) - 1,500 people. At the Academy, students and cadets receive not only knowledge, but also practical skills. The Academy has a number of simulators that display marine reality. At the disposal of students and cadets are simulators of GMDSS, navigation, power plants of ships, underwater weapons and artillery. The most modern and constantly updated is the simulator of the navigation (captain) bridge. The Academy has modern multimedia lecture halls, a sports hall and a modern library.

Starting from the 2014/2015 academic year, the Academy’s military cadets are studying in four areas: navigation, mechanics and mechanical engineering, mechatronics, computer science. Civilian students have a choice between: navigation, computer science, mechanics and mechanical engineering, computer science and robotics, mechatronics, national security, internal security, security information systems, international relations, the army in the public service system, and pedagogy.

The Academy can also expand its knowledge in several areas in graduate school, including in the field of hydrography, crisis management, logistics management, public procurement, pedagogy, the protection of classified information, as well as the safety of public events.

The Academy Training Center organizes courses in accordance with the International Convention on the Training and Certification of Seafarers and Watchkeeping (Convention ПМНВ-78/95).

The Academy employs 17 professors, 31 doctors of sciences and 85 candidates of sciences ^[2] .

The Academy preserves and cultivates its rich traditions, both military and scientific.

1. Academy Charter (Polish) [1]
2. Academy's official website (Polish) [2] (English) [3]
3. The official website of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Polish) [4] (Russian) [5]