MS "Chrobry" was a Polish passenger ship built for the Poland - South America Line to replace the aging and the . She was named in honour of the first Polish king Bolesław I Chrobry.

The ship was in the middle of its maiden passenger voyage to South America when World War II broke out. Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz was one of the passengers. During the war the ship was rebuilt in Britain to become a troop transport.

The ship was used as a transport during the Norwegian Campaign, in the area around Narvik. On May 14, 1940 she sailed from Tjeldsundet transporting British troops to Bodø. Just before midnight German dive bombers attacked the ship three times in the middle of Vestfjord, setting the ship on fire, exploding ammunition, and killing several army officers and men. One of the escorts, the destroyer HMS Wolverine, took off 700 survivors from the ship, while the other escort, the sloop HMS Stork, stood on guard and drove off other German aircraft, then took off the remaining survivors. Both escorts, loaded with survivors, sailed for Harstad. The abandoned Chrobry was scuttled by planes from aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal on May 16. A considerable amount of equipment went down with the ship.

References

1. David Brown, Great Britain. Naval Staff, Naval operations of the campaign in Norway, April-June 1940

External links

• Photo of MS Chrobry from July, 1939, from NAC archive: [853187]