Andrzej Karweta
Andrzej Karweta was rear admiral of the Polish Navy and its commander-in-chief from November 2007 until his death in April 2010 in the Smolensk air crash. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of admiral.Biography
Andrzej Karweta was born in Jeleń village. In 1977 he started studies at the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia and graduated in 1982, with the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. In following years he attended further studies, including Defence Politics at the Polish National Defence University in Warsaw and studies at Royal College of Defence Studies in London.
He started service in the 13th Minesweeper Division in Hel in 1982. In 1986 he took his first command, of ORP Czapla, in 1989 of another minesweeper ORP Mewa and a group of minesweepers. In 1992-1996 he was chief of staff and second in command of the 13th Minesweeper Division, later he became its commander. During BALTOPS 2000 maneuvres he commanded an international anti-mine warfare group.
In 2002 he became deputy commander of the Underwater Warfare Division in Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, and was a Polish representative in SACLANT headquarters. In 2005 he returned to Poland and served as the second in command of the 8th Coast Defence Flotilla in Świnoujście. On 3 May 2007 he was promoted to rear admiral and became a deputy chief of Polish Navy Staff in Gdynia. On 11 November 2007 he was promoted to commodore
and became a deputy chief of Polish Navy Staff in Gdynia. On 11 November 2007 he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed the Polish Navy's commander-in-chief.
He was listed on the flight manifest of the Tupolev Tu-154 of the 36th Special Aviation Regiment carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński which crashed near Smolensk-North airport near Smolensk, Russia, on 10 April 2010, killing all aboard.Honours and awards
