Polish Navy

The Polish Navy (Polish: Marynarka Wojenna, lit. 'War Navy'; often abbreviated to Marynarka) is the naval branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 8000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish Navy is ORP (Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, 'Warship of the Republic of Poland'). The first Polish naval forces were organized in 1568 following the Thirteen Years' War, but the Polish Navy in its modern form was not created until 1918. Most of Poland's naval forces escaped capture when Germany invaded in 1939, and carried on the fight in exile during World War II. During the Cold War, the Polish People's Navy was organized to support the Soviet and East German navies in controlling the Baltic Sea in event of a war with NATO. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, and Poland's accession to NATO in 1999, the Polish Navy has reversed its former Cold War role, helping to ensure NATO control of the Baltic Sea. The Polish Navy is the smallest of Poland's armed services, numbering approximately 8,000 personnel in 2025, but has benefited from significant increases in Poland's defense spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Currently led by Vice Admiral Jarosław Ziemiański, Inspector of the Navy, the Polish Navy is headquartered in Gdynia.