PORT CONDITIONS IN GDANSK: PORT DIVISIONS/SOVIET VESSELS/PORT ACTIVITY/SECURITY REGULATIONS/ PRIVATE SAILING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00926A006800120001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 20, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

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CONFIDEi.;;LAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Poland
SUBJECT Port Conditions in Gdansk: Port Divisions/Soviet Vessels)
Port Activity/Security Regulations/Private Sailing
PLACE ACQUIRED
(NY SOURCE)
DATE ACQUIRED
Ow SOURCE)
DATE (OF INFO.)
SOURCE
25X1A
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFEND
OF THE UNITED STATES. WITHIN THEMEAN1NG OF TITLE IR, SECTIONS 799
AND 794. OF THE U.S. CODE. AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE,.
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
BY .E REPRODUCTION OF THIS REPORT IS PROHIBITED
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
25X1A
DATE DISTR. Jan 1954
NO. OF PAGES 4
NO. OF ENCLS.
SUPP. TO
REPORT NO.
25X1X
1. "Our knowledge of port conditions in Gdansk and. Gdynia dates throuffr.
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25X1A
Port Divisions
2. PThe port of Gdansk is
a) Port Wislan,
divided into:
- The Wi5.0_42e, port. Sugar and all.rleeee ;Y.e.eds ere
loaded there.
25X1X
b) Port Rudo-Megl,awy now also called Torniczyt - The port where coal
iron ore are loaded:-
c) Port Wolnoclowy - The free port. Machinery is lcodej and uoloaded 'neec;
also all the shipments to China,
d) PAGED - Port Drzewny - The timber harbor,
e) Kanal Kaszubski - The Kashubian Canal. Metals, wire, pipes etc are
loaded here. There are many warehouses along the canal.
3. "The Westerplatte basin
the last two years and
civilians are admitted
U.
serves naval purposes.
is now surrounded with
. The guard is strong:
S. OffLials Only
GOIIPTOPPITTAL
It has been put in order during
a high barbed wire fence. No
sailors, lights playing on the
,c,...=mo??????????
DIV
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fence by night, but hitherto no bloodhounds. Everywhere there are WOP posts
and :notices that persons approaching:forbidden areas will be shot without
Yarning. The Westerplatte 0uay? however, is an Ordinary trade quay on one of
the canals of the port.
Soy
et Vessels
1
4. "The Soviets have no special bases at Gdansk but anchor some vessels at
Westerplatte. The Soviet vessels are usually trawlers, mostly 50-50 m long
but sometimes only 15 m long. Occasionally a Soviet torpedo or gunboat can
be observed, bUt no larger naval vesiels. Sometimes there are about ten
? Soviet vessels On 29 September 53 there were none. The local people have
no idea what these Soviet vessels do at Gdansk since the official Soviet base
is at Szczecin. Possibly they check on the PollA NavY, but people think
? that their visits serve a psychological purpose. ' The Soviets want to intimate:
lie are here. 'We are ready for action.'
Port Activity
5. "The number of ships calling at the ports of Gdynia and Gdansk has fallen off
Steeply in the last 16 months. Immediately after World War II, while urnRA
was still in operation, about 55-70 vessles would be lying in Gdansk harbor
at once and seven or eight waiting in the roads to enter. In 1951 and the
beginning of 1052, at the Westerplatte Quay alone, at least 30 would be
anchored at once; often Ships lined this quay in rows ef Lree As
of SePtember 1953 theie were often no more than 10 shine en the whole harbor
of Gdansk.
6. can give no figures for Gdynia harbor, but activity there appears as slack
as at Gdansk. Gdynia and Gdansk have been an ecOnomic entity since 1945-46,
Technically, hOwever, the two ports are separate. rach has its own facilities)
?eicept for the largest cranes, which are shared. In Gdynia all the quays are
now built of reinforced concrete. In Gdansk ola wooden quays are still in use.
Some of the new quays are of timber below water level and concrete above.
7. "There are four or five pilots 5ames unknown to sources% in the port of Gdansk
and about the SAMP number in Gaynia. Under the present regime these pilots
are pickedfor political rather than vocational qualifications. Thus, the most
responsible Job in a port is entrusted to petty CP functionaries (?sympathizers.
Accidents ere frequent. A serious one occurred On 29 July 53:
Not far from Westerplatte the Wisla channel has a sudden e
is the 1119st annngerous spot for ships in r,d.ans1 rtr. a
ship passes this spot she has to whistle fly,- e rr" i8
called the 'Five Whistle Bend' (,zakret
tureen the Kepitanat Portu an tr-ahrzerLe (o)lc ,hat last
?tluay. is always called the Ca1 Quay; the name' 4gorrHee' is use:oniy
Officially -- just as the colliers are alwais cai, 'weglowcc , fOthou
the regime calls them srudoweglowcel.
On 29 July the chief pilot of Gdansk was piloting the large freir;:ht
stqaMr sis WARYNSKI (without a cargo) through the 7.akr,', cw*L.4,4kow
In the middle of the bend the forward tug veered too Liaca to P(
and too close to the quay. The pilot ordered the front
anchor cast instead of commanding 'stop' and oyvering the rear tug t,o
reverse. The WARYNUI bumped against qaay, her stem and 13ropel1er
half risina out of the water. The rear tug rammed into the WARYIISKI.
TheINIMI was badly damaged as was one of the tugs. The authorities
considered the accident an act of sabotage. 'Me heard that there were
several arrests and a political as well as technical investigation.
Sources do not know who was arrested in addition to the pilot:7
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8. "On 3 September 53 a storm tore the roofs off a row of storehouses on the
Nabrzeze Wislane (Wisla Quay) in Gdansk. The storehouses had been rebuilt
in 1952 and coVered with completely new roofs. The work had been done
according to government specifications -- with the usual saving in labor
and material. Instead of having paid a little more for the roofs in 1952
the State will now have to fork out the price of entirely new replacements.
"The new building of the Komnandantura of the Polish Navy (Komenda Marynarki
Wojennej) vas finished In summer 1952. It is situated in Kosciuszko Square,
hot far from PIM (Panstwowy Instytut Meteorologiczny, colloquially called
Timus,). All the construetion work wad done by labor battalions (bataljony
praey), not by units of the SluZba,Polsce.
10. "The electrical department of the harbor administration in Gdansk consists of
the following men: chief electrician' for the port, department heads (Kierownik
Widzialu) section heads (Kierownik Oddzialu), masters (Mistrz), brigade leaders
and regular journeymen electricians. A journeyman electrlc5an in the free
port, Whose job consists of repairing electric motors on ships, tugs and cranes
and operating and repairing transformers, earns about 1500 zl per month (in-
. eluding all premiums and overtime payments).
Security Hegulations
31. "As was reported in the press, a Swedish citizen A3Lan Einnr ,, first
mate of m/s GUNNEL of Halsingborg, was arrested in. Gda=1: charged
with having bidden two Polish citizens - a man and n w?n, nis s7dip to
help them escape to Sweden. The two refugees were dLe.esvered hidden in the
forecastle of the ship when she was searched by the frontier guard. De Jounge
Vas invited ashore for an interrogatiOn by the authorities and arrcted
accessory to the escape although he emphatically denied any krimled,,,c of 11:e
would-be refugees. His case was up for trial at the voievodshio tribun,11 in
Gdansk on 12 November. This time he pleaded guilty and wns senLen:ed to one
yegr of prison, the mildest punishment for his offence as the appropriate law,
according to the Swedish consul in Gdansk, Arne Lellki, provides for up to five
years of imprisonment,
12. "On 19 September we were working as usual in our offices at the Construction
Bureau or the Gdansk Shipyard (Stocznia Gdarska). The windows .
quay where the Swedish m/s GUNNEL was loading coal. At about 2 pm two tru,t--,
covered with tarpaulin drove on the quay, carrying about 50 MOP soldiers -
a number of officers. This was pretty unusual and the whole nEreso' ,
office collected at the windows to watch the proceeding,?
soldiers were posted on the quay so that nobody cryiza -
observed. An officer climbed on the bridee
ations. Then at the order of the offL-,-,
have been about 40 - marched ool, 4.i and went i They
reappeared on deck after e fee n' nP.h n Polish con cofiand. drove drove with thet in the two truc14.:; tn Lhe MOP
the harbour. harbour. Shori,ly thereafter a WOP officer cano tc a car O.
soldiers, boarded the ship, and took off the first' nate. In uk.e af' ,-noon ,
whole cavalcade came -Lack: about 50 UOP soad-Fn:s, their officers am
rested couple, together with some film operators. The eseare 'ten was
filmed. The couple had to place themselves in the cage -r -rcnn
an armed soldier stood behind the crane operator; the aee were 1-fttd. qnd
lowered into the hold of the ship. After all this -nas over Lne.:, lab v,gv,n,
taking even the crane operator with them.
13. "The affair caused many speculations in Gdansk. There was, of course, no doubt
that the crane operator had a part in the plot, for the refugees could not have
got on the ship without his knowledge and help. Nobody kneW whether the Swedish
officer was guile- or not. Many people considered' the escaping couple rather
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suspect. The woman was the wife of a WOP officer in Gdansk. The identity of
the man was not known; he was supposed to be her lover. Some people were quite
sure that the whole thing was a provocation, especially as the refugees ad-
mitted their guilt so quickly, denounced their accessories and consented to
play their part in the filming. Others said the escape could have been genuine
aid that perhaps the fugitives had. admitted everything and played their part
in the film because they had been promised better treatment for cooperation,
. .
. .
14. "Whatever the facts, the escape -attempt had an epilogues On 23 Septemberenew
regulations Were introduced for the guarding and loading of foreign shins in
Polish ports:
a) Henceforth every foreign ship is to be guarded not by two WOP
Soldiersetasehitherto, hut. three! if a crane is used in, loading, .a WOP sentry
Stands'behing the crane operators
b) The 20 WOP soldiers who search every 500-600 toe ship before she
leaves port (larger ships are searched by correspondingly larger nnit,$) will
henceforth be provided not only with pistols but also with torches, long
sharp iron: reds and tear gas.
c) In loading coal the cranes are not to lower their load into the hold
bUt to drop it high above the hatch so that the WOP guard may see plainly
that no person is being dropped.
15. That last regulation has its own history. At first coal va; ,eaued in the
ordinary fashion by lowering it, into the hold. Then - possibly after escapes
on colliers - the authorities ordered it dropped high above the hatches. This
'caused foreiga importers to protest, as the coal is broken ,into small DieCeS
:by such handling and is of a different, inferior composition on arrival at iLs
destination than, when it was inspected on shore.. The Polish authorities, who
are keen to sell their coal, had to agree to loading by lowering the coal into
the hold. But they have now reverted to the old rethod. The provocation
theory may not be so wrong; Poles attempting toescape via a crane and a
Swedish officer mixed up in the affair provide the regime with a strong argu-
ment if the coal importers should again protest against the loading methods.
Possibly this explains why the Swedish officer got so light a sentence; hither-
to the Polish courts have not been so lenient towards the Swedes.
16. 'Dogs are no longer used in searching ships in Gdansk and Gdynia. This rrs(A:,L
was dropped in the early sunner of 1952. Refugees have become too ?c';':"pser
dogs: they pour gasoline on themselves and their closest traeee : 'e-
.selves with tobacco dust. Under such circumstances the 'se a.at
and are useless.
Private Sailing
17. "The Budowlane Sailing Club is attached to the Szkola TwAsowt okretow e ,:nans?
The small-club sailboats have the right to sail in the bay of Odensse the so
called Zatoka. WOP clearance and a sailing peri (przepustka) are necess::e-,
The sailors have their boats cleared at the WOP post' nearKapitanat Portu
the estuary."
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