| by Waldemar Danielewicz
1896
12 June Ordered as colonial cruiser she was launched on 12.VI.1896 r. as d'Entrecasteaux.
1898
1 January Beginning of the tests, which were stopped on 28.IV because breakdown of four boilers.
1899
23 March End of tests.
4 April Entry to service as 1 class cruiser. In this period ship's displacement was 7 995 t. The propultion consisted of two steam machines about power 14 500 shp permitting to reach maximum speed of 19,2 kn. The store of carbon was 980 t. The armament consisted of two singel cannons of 24 cm, twelve 13,8 cm from which 8 was put in casemates, 12 AA 4,7 cm guns and 4 torpedoe tubes 45 cm. After entry to service d'Entrecasteaux was assigned to Far East Fleet.
6 April After leafing Tulon, cruiser arrived to Saigon on 12 May, and was cruising in region of Chinese coast.
1900
June Arrived to Dagu in composition of the international fleet which took part in the suppression of the 'boxers' rise.
 | | d'Entrecasteaux in 1902 |
1901
1 December Ship arrived to Tulon.
1902
12 February Moved to reserve, ship is undergoing repairs.
8 August After repairs, cruiser is moved to Saigon, where she become flagship of rear adm. Bayle.
20 August Ship is staying in Wladivostok.
1903
2 February Return to Tulon, on 12 February ship again was moved to reserve.
1905
1 September Entrence to active service as a part of the Indian Ocean Command.
25 November Left Tulon.
7 December Arrived to Djibutti.
1906
15 August Arrival to Saigon, d'Entrecasteaux is the flagship of rear adm. Boisse.
1907
9 March Cruiser entered on shallow near Hainan island, and had to be repaired in Saigon.
20 December flagship of rear adm. Perrin.
1909
25 October d'Entrecasteaux left Saigon, and arrived in Tulon on 18 December.
1910
1 January Moved to reserve.
1911
15 November Put into service in the Mediterranean School Command, as flagship of rear adm. Sourrieu.
1913
25 November Moved to reserve.
1914
28 July Outbreak of the I World War.
29 July Entry to service.
6 August Cruiser left Tulon as a part of Special Command, and patrolled Otranto strait blocking the exit from Adriatic.
24 December Passage to Syria, and later to the Great Bitter Lake where ship was directed with the task of defence of Suez Canal.
1915
2 February Ship is resisting the attacks of 4th Turkish Army which was ultimately broken next day.
20 February Ship sailed to Bizerty, and then was operating in region of coasts of Syria.
 | | d'Entrecasteaux at full speed |
26 March Cruiser took part in shelling of the enemy positions near Gauze.
30 April Again is protecting the Suez Canal.
13 June Moved to the coasts of Syria.
24 August Stay on Malta.
3 September Entry to Brest, and the repair of ship.
6 December Ship left St. Lorient and on 20 December d'Entrecasteaux arrived to Port Saidu where she become part of the strengths protecting the Suez Canal as flagship of rear adm. De Spitz.
1916
14 April Passage of ship to Morocco, and then to Oran.
May - September Cruiser was based in Casablance and Agadir.
11 October Return to Port Said.
November - December Escorting convoys from Red Sea to Madagascar.
1917
January - July Escorting convoys from Red Sea to Madagascar.
4 August Return to Suez Canal.
24 August Passage to Malta, where she entered allied forces blocking the Adriatic.
15 October Passage to Taranto from which she was escorting convoys from Itheji to Peloponnese.
12 December d'Entrecasteaux was unsuccessfully attacked by German submarine UC 38.
1918
February - December Used as transport ship.
11 November End of the I World War.
1919
19 June Cruiser left Taranto and after visiting Bizzerte and Marseilles on 3 July ship arrived to Brest she was moved to reserve.
5 September In School Command as schoolship for signallers.
1920
April Flagship of School Command.
1921
June 1 Ship was disarmed.
1922
27 October d'Entrecasteaux was stricken from the list of naval units.
1923
Lended to Belgium.
1925
24 May Towed from Brest to Brugge by tug Mastodonte.
1926
June Turned to France.
1927
February Towed to Cherbourga.
7 March Purchased by Polish Navy for 2 822 000 francs.
30 July Raise of the Polish banner in Cherbourg, the cruiser received the name Krol Wladyslaw IV, the commander was cpt. Jerzy Latkiewicz.
 | | Baltyk before entering Gdynia, note the 24 cm turrets |
August Change of the name on Baltyk. Cruiser was towed to Gdynia by tugs Mammouth and Pingouin, and on 11 August ship arrived to Poland, and on 13 August the commander was appointed cmdr. Wlodzimierz Steyer. Baltyk went on to the Danziger Werft shipyard in Danzig for necessary repairs.
22 September New commander was appointed cmdr. Adam Mohuczy.
1928
26 June Baltyk was towed from Danzig to Gdynia, where further repairs were made by WPMW. During the renovation the turrets were removed and six 4,7 cm Hotchkiss AA guns were installed.
November Ship was again towed to Danzig, where cruiser was docked and the copper sheathing was removed. Baltyk returned to Gdynia on 7 December.
1930
1 April Baltyk entered the service at School Command as the base of the Sea Experts School.
1939
 | | Baltyk anchored in Gdynia |
1 September Outbreak of the II World War.
1 September During afternoon air raid on harbour Baltyk received direct hit in the astern superstructure. Several bombs exploded in the vicinity of the ship.
2 - 4 September Ship is fighting with the Luftawaffe.
5 - 7 September Baltyk was shelled by German battleship Schleswig - Holstein.
11 September All of the crew left the ship and was directed to the defense of Kepa Oksywska.
19 September Captured by Germans the hulk without change of name fulfilled his service.
1941
June The demolition of ship in Gdynia harbour.
1942
July / August The end of scrapping.
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