WAK 05-2022 ORP Błyskawica (1942)

ORP Błyskawica was a Polish destroyer (destroyer) from the interwar period, World War II and the post-war period. The keel for this unit was laid in October 1935, the launch took place in October 1936, and the entry into service in the Polish Navy took place in 1937. The length of the ship was 114 meters and a width of 11.3 meters. The displacement reached about 2,150 tons, and the maximum speed - up to 39-40 knots. The armament - in 1945 - included, among others: 8 102 mm guns, 4 40 mm anti-aircraft guns and 4 533 mm torpedo tubes.

ORP Błyskawica was one of two Polish destroyers belonging to the Grom type were built to order by the British shipyard J. Samuel White in Cowes. Vessels of this type were characterized by a very high maximum speed, good sea performance and swimming range. They also had relatively strong artillery and - as it turned out in the course of service - were susceptible to modernization. Undoubtedly, they were very successful ships, not inferior to foreign designs. In the interwar period, ORP Błyskawica paid many courtesy visits, representing the Polish flag. On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, implementing the Beijing plan, she went to Great Britain and there - as part of the Polish Armed Forces in the West - continued the fight, writing a glorious page in the history of the Polish Navy. The unit took part in the Norwegian campaign (1940) and in Operation Dynamo, i.e. the evacuation of the Allied forces from Dunkirk at the turn of May and June 1940. ORP Błyskawica also fought in the Battle of the Atlantic (in the period 1940-1942), undergoing convoy service. In the years 1942-1943, the destroyer served in the Mediterranean Sea, taking part in, among others, Operation Torch. In 1944, the unit was transferred north to take part in the Allied landing in Normandy, where it took part in the Battle of Ushant. The last operation ORP Błyskawica took part in was Operation Deadlight in 1945-1946. In 1947, the destroyer returned to Poland. Since 1976, ORP Błyskawica has been moored at the Port of Gdynia and acts as a museum ship. In 1987, the unit was decorated with the Gold Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari, and in 2012 - with the "Pro Memoria" medal.