SS Sołdek

SS Sołdek is a historic steam-powered collier and ore carrier moored in Gdańsk and now a branch of the National Maritime Museum. As the first seagoing ship built entirely in Poland after World War II, it became a symbol of the rebirth of Polish shipbuilding, and it remains one of the most interesting technical sights on the Motława river.

What is SS Sołdek?

Sołdek is a bulk carrier designed to haul coal and iron ore. It runs on a steam engine rather than a diesel, which makes it a rare surviving example of older marine engineering. The ship is roughly 87 metres long and carried a crew of 28. Two boilers fed a four-cylinder steam engine of about 1,300 horsepower, which turned a single propeller.

How was it built?

The keel was laid in April 1948 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, and the ship was launched on 6 November of that year. It was the prototype of a series of twenty-nine vessels of the B30 type, built at the yard between 1949 and 1954. The team that prepared the preliminary design was led by Henryk Giełdzik. The ship was named after Stanisław Sołdek, a shock worker and layout marker at the yard, and his wife Helena became its godmother.

What was its working life like?

The ship entered service in 1949, and its first voyage led to Szczecin under Master Mariner Zbigniew Rybiański. For more than three decades, until the end of 1980, it carried coal and ore, over 3.5 million tonnes of cargo in total. In later years it also served as a floating warehouse on the Oder in Szczecin. It returned to Gdańsk as a museum object.

What can you see on board?

Visitors can explore the layout of a typical mid-twentieth-century cargo ship. On board are cargo holds, loading equipment, crew cabins and a fully equipped engine room. The engine room makes the biggest impression, revealing the scale of the machinery that drove the ship, along with the modest working and living conditions of the sailors.

The ship was opened to visitors in July 1985 as a branch of the Central Maritime Museum, the predecessor of today's National Maritime Museum. The ship appeals both to technology enthusiasts and to anyone who wants to understand the post-war history of Gdańsk and Poland's maritime economy.

Frequently asked questions

Was SS Sołdek the first ship built in post-war Poland? Yes. It was the first seagoing ship built entirely in Poland after World War II and the first vessel completed in Gdańsk after the war.

Where is Sołdek moored? In Gdańsk on the Motława, close to the Old Town and the Crane, so a visit combines easily with a walk through the centre.

Who runs the ship? Sołdek is a branch of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk. Visiting rules and tickets are best checked on the museum's website.

Why does the ship have this name? It is named after Stanisław Sołdek, a shock worker at the Gdańsk Shipyard, whose wife Helena became the ship's godmother.

How many ships were built to this design? The B30 series comprised twenty-nine colliers, and Sołdek was its prototype.

Who is a visit for? Families, technology and history fans, and anyone who wants to see a real steam cargo ship from the inside.