[Polish Army, ORP Falcon, officer's telescope]. Telescope telescope owned by the then deputy captain of the ship ...

[WOJSKO Polskie, ORP Sokol, officer's telescope]. Telescopic telescope owned by the then deputy captain of the ship Boleslaw Romanowski, 1941 or 1944. Captain's telescope 4-part in telescopic folding tube, with handle trimmed with leather by hand and brass fittings. Dimensions: length - 43 cm extended - 16.5 cm folded, diameter - ca 3.5 cm. Weight: ca 350 g.
In the upper part of the body mounted brass eagle in the Crown, under it engraved ownership inscription:"Ship of the Republic of Poland ORP Sokół Bolesław Romanowski". As an attribute of captain's authority, the telescope is a device that allows one to control the situation, including during long voyages, and assists in making appropriate decisions. This one belonged to Boleslaw Romanowski. Scuffs in places, good condition overall.
B. Romanowski (born March 21, 1910 in Warklany, died August 12, 1968 in Gdansk) - commander, submarine commander. He served in the Navy from 1929 to 1964. During World War II he commanded ORP "Jastrząb", ORP "Dzik" and a group of submarines, while after the war he was commander of ORP "Sęp" and a submarine squadron. He ended his career as deputy commandant of the Naval Academy for training ships and naval practice. [From 1939 to 1941, Navy Lieutenant Boleslaw Romanowski continued to sail on the ORP "Wolf", which made patrols in the North Sea. After the withdrawal of the "Wolf," on which he was deputy commander of the ship at the end, he was briefly appointed deputy commander of the submarine reserve crew. He then assumed the position of deputy commander of a ship on the ORP "Falcon" submarine leased from the Royal Navy, which took part in the blockade of the port of Brest. [Still in 1941, after completing a course for ship commanders, he became commander of the old submarine S-25, donated by the US Navy and christened as ORP "Jastrząb." As the only commander of a Polish submarine so far, he guided his vessel across the Atlantic Ocean. At the same time he was acting commander of the submarine group. On May 2, 1942 - during the voyage of convoy PQ-15 in the Norwegian Sea to Murmansk, ORP "Hawk" was mistakenly taken for a German vessel and fired upon by the Norwegian destroyer "St. Albans" and the British minesweeper HMS "Seagull". Several crew members of the Polish ship and members of the British liaison group were killed in the incident. The ship, as a result of the damage, was unfit for further voyage and had to be self-sunk. Romanowski was shot in both legs, and after a stay in a Russian hospital and return to England, he was at the disposal of Marine Command North. At the end of 1942, he took command on a newly-built ship donated by Britain, named ORP "Boar." He stepped down from this vessel in 1944, after some successes in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. During this period, the ship collectively sank five ships, three landing ferries and secured the landing in Sicily. Subsequently, Captain Romanowski became commander of the submarine group and commander of ORP 'Falcon'." (Wikipedia).
ORP Sokół (N.97) - a Polish submarine of World War II. It belonged to the British U-type, was leased by the Polish Navy, the Polish flag was raised on it on January 19, 1941. During her service in the Polish fleet, she served two campaigns in the Mediterranean. Operating from bases in Malta and then Beirut, she was successful in submarine warfare against Axis shipping, sinking at least 14 enemy vessels: 13 ships and 1 warship. Thanks to its combat successes, the "Falcon", together with its twin "Boar", earned the nickname Terrible Twins ("terrible twins"). After the end of hostilities, the "Falcon" was returned to the Royal Navy, then scrapped in 1949. (Wikipedia).