Knowing that Polish and German interests on the Baltic Coast directly clashed the Polish authorities knew that it was essential to promote the Polish case to the wider World.
Launched in 1928 the Baltic Institute set out unequivocally upon “the investigation of economic, political, national and other conditions on the Baltic coast from the point of view of Poland’s interests”.
To that purpose, among many other activities, the Baltic Institute published “The Baltic Pocket Library” in English. Pamphlets fell into four groups:-
“GDYNIA – Poland’s Gateway To The Sea” was a 58 page pamphlet by the Director of the Institute, Jozef Borowik, as part of the Economic Series.
Published in Torun in 1933 it sets the scene for Poland’s maritime drive in which M/S Pilsudski was to play such a major role.
“GDYNIA – Poland’s Gateway To The Sea” covered four topics:-
The newly reborn post-1918 Polish Republic faced enormous difficulties in settling and stabilising its borders. When the dust of the Silesian Uprisings and the Polish-Soviet War settled Poland still faced considerable difficulties.
In the North the peace settlement enforced upon Poland by the Western Allies gave Poland only a very limited stretch of coastline via the so called “Polish corridor”. East Prussia, although completely cut off from Germany by the “corridor”, remained firmly a part of the German Reich!
Danzig (Gdansk to Poles) should have been Poland’s natural outlet to the Baltic. However, although nominally a “Free Port” Danzig was not only surrounded by German territory, with German control of road and rail access, but was also in reality under the control of its own German population.
Danzig was therefore a German tool to frustrate Polish aspirations towards the development of overseas aid. The Poles knew that German hatred of the very existance of Poland was so strong that there was no chance of any real accommodation over Danzig.
The answer for Poland was to build its own major international Port from scratch on the limited Polish Baltic to which it had access via the “corridor” and where it could develop and control its own road and rail access through the “corridor”.
The German Government and its Danzig puppet gleefully awaited total Polish failure.
The Poles were determined to deliver a thumping success to boost Poland abroad and approached the project with unexpected drive, vision and commitment.
The Gdynia poroject was not simply of enormous commercial importance. The project also carried enormous emotional and patriotic resonance for Poles.
General Haller had enacted the ceremony of Poland’s “marriage” to the sea – symbolically casting a gold wedding ring into the waves.
The Gdynia project was the logical development and realisation – if you like “the child” – of that “marriage”!
For Poland the project had to succeed and succeed it did!
“GDYNIA – Poland’s Gateway to the Sea” sets out the vision from the perspective of 1933 when the project was already well established and was pushing ahead at full speed.”
The Gdynia-America Line (GAL) had realised that it did not have the modern prestige liners with which to grace the splendid new harbours of Gdynia.
It was to rectify this situation that GAL set about the building of the sister ships M/S Pilsudski and M/S Batory.
M/S Pilsudski was not simply an impressive new modern liner. M/S Pilsudski was an integral part of the national pride and achievement represented by the whole Gynia project. It’s progress was followed with enormous national pride.
The naming of the ship and the distinctive design of her prow were not accidental!
She was named after the creator and defender of reborn Poland Marshal Jozef Pilsudski. Her prow was decorated with an enormous representation of the badge of Pilsudski’s legendary First Brigade of World War I. That badge was supported on either side by the distinctive zig-zag insignia of the Polish Army!
The intense national symbolism of M/S Pilsudski was deliberate, obvious, impressive and unarguable!
The whole Gdynia project and the creation of M/S Pilsudski and M/S Batory was a demonstration not only of Poland’s growing commercial strength and independence but also a symbol of national pride and achievement.
