Captain Kazimierz Jurkiewicz

Director of the State Maritime School in Gdynia, 1967-1969

Education and Experience at Sea

Kazimierz Jurkiewicz was born on 12th March 1912 in Goraj in the Lubelski district. He attended primary school in Warsaw before studying at a humanities middle school in Kraśnik.

He was already interested in the sea at this time and subscribed to maritime-themed publications Morze [The Sea] and Żeglarza Polskiego [The Polish Sailor].

In 1931, he passed an entrance exam and was accepted to study at the State Maritime School in Gdynia, graduating from the Faculty of Navigation in 1934 near the top of the class. The then captain of the “Dar Pomorza”, Konstanty Maciejewicz, offered the outstanding graduate the position of instructor onboard the “White Frigate” during its journey around the world.

Following the historic voyage, Kazimierz Jurkiewicz completed a year’s military service in the Communications Reserves Cadet Academy in Zegrze.

Next, he joined the crew of the m.s. Piłsudski as a senior seaman, later becoming bosman. In 1937, he returned to the “Dar Pomorza” as 4th officer - a position he held until the outbreak of the Second World War.

Service During WWII

At the end of August 1939, in the face of the approaching war, the ship was sent to Stockholm, where it remained under the care of seven crew members throughout the war. On 8th September 1939, a group of 11 students was transported out of Stockholm on a Polish Airlines plane (commanded by the brother of State Maritime School student Tadeusz Wysiekierski). The plane was scheduled to return for more students, however, the deterioration of the situation destroyed any hope of further evacuation.

Kazimierz Jurkiewicz was part of a group of students that flew from Sweden to Riga and on to Święciany in Lithuania where they were assigned to the relevant units of the Polish army. The units to which Jurkiewicz was assigned was however dispersed.

He, therefore, spent the 2nd World War in Zaleś Górny near Warsaw, where he earned a living as a lumberjack, labourer, and more.

Dar Pomorza and Zew Pomorza

In September 1945, he returned from the State Maritime School in Gdynia. On 7th November 1945, he took over command of a Polish Navy training ship (from Capt. Eugeniusz Gąsiorowski).

From October 1945 until August 1951, he was the 1st officer on Dar Pomorza, after which he became captain of the Zew Morza training ship.

In 1947, he became a juror in the Maritime Chamber in Gdynia, and in 1952, the deputy delegate of the minister of shipping in the Maritime Court of Appeal in Gdynia.

He qualified as a master mariner in 1930. In 1947-1952, he taught at the State Maritime School in Gdynia and Szczecin and contributed to the work of the programme committee.

In 1953, he took command of Dar Pomorza, which he captained until his retirement in 1977. Under his command, the White Frigate embarked on its first post-war transatlantic cruise to Canada (for Expo '67); participated in Operation Sailing '72, where it won both in its class and overall regatta classification, in Operation Sailing '74, on the Copenhagen-Gdynia route, placing third in the final classification, and took part in Operation Sailing '76 (third place in the overall classification) and the United States 200th anniversary celebrations.

Director of the State Maritime School

From December 1967 until April 1969, Kazimierz Jurkiewicz was the director of the State Maritime School in Gdynia. He was also the commander of the white frigate during this time. In 1968, the State Maritime School was merged with the State Marine Fishing School. The School gained new buildings on Independence Avenue, on the North Pier, and a ship, the Jan Turlejski. The Council of the Ministers of Education passed a Regulation for the conversion of the State Maritime Schools in Gdynia and Szczecin into a Maritime Higher School. Around this time, in April 1968, Dar Pomorza passed through the Dardanelles on a training voyage to the port of Odesa under the command of Kazimierz Jurkiewicz, (just as Lwów had done in 1928 under the captaincy of Konstanty Maciejewicz).

Other Achievements and Publications

As of 1975, Kazimierz Jurkiewicz also worked as a sailing ship construction consultant, for example, for the Ship Technology Centre in Gdansk and the Gdansk Shipyard. He was also actively involved as the chief consultant to the project to build a successor to the “White Frigate”. His wife, Helena, was the godmother of Dar Młodzieży.

In 1982, five years after his retirement, he became the first curator of the Central Maritime Museum's museum ship Dar Pomorza.

He was the author of Konserwacja statku [Ship Conservation], Podstawowe wiadomości z wiedzy okrętowej [Basic Ship Knowledge], Wyszkolenie szalupowe [Lifeboat Training] and Instrukcja szkolenia żaglowego [Sailing Training Instructions] for Dar Pomorza.

He was decorated many times with honours, including the Komandorski Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, The Gold Cross of Merit, the National Education Commission Medal.

He has a primary school named after him in Gdynia, as well as a street in the Chwarzno-Wiczlino area of the city. Kazimierz Jurkiewicz died on 20 January 1985. He was laid to rest in Witomino Cemetery, Gdynia.