 ORP Błyskawica, modern view |
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| Career (Poland) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | ORP Błyskawica |
| Laid down: | September 1935 |
| Launched: | October 1 1936 |
| Commissioned: | November 25 1937 |
| Decommissioned: | May 1 1976 |
| Fate: | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,975 |
| Length: | 114 m (374 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 11. For ships that are not original see Ship replica. For preserved incomplete ships see Ships preserved in museums. 3 m (37 ft 1 in) |
| Draft: | 3. 3 m (10 ft 10 in) |
| Speed: | 39 knots (72 km/h/45 mph) |
| Complement: | 192 |
| Armament: | 1937: 7 × 120 mm (4. 7 in) guns 4 × 40 mm (1. 6 in) AA guns machine guns 6 × torpedo launchers 1941: 8 × 102 mm (4. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. 0 in) Mk XVI AA guns 4 × 40 mm (1. 6 in) AA guns 4 × 20 mm (0. 79 in) AA guns 6 × torpedo launchers |
ORP Błyskawica was a Grom-class destroyer serving in the Polish Navy during World War II, currently preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia. Design Despite having ordered its previous pair of destroyers ( ORP ''Burza'' and ORP ''Wicher'') from France, a country with which it had strong In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including For ships that are not original see Ship replica. For preserved incomplete ships see Ships preserved in museums. Gdynia (Gdingen (until 1939 Gotenhafen (1939-1945 Gdiniô is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important Seaport It is the only ship of the Polish Navy awarded with the Virtuti Militari medal, as well as the oldest preserved destroyer in the world. The Order Virtuti Militari ( Latin for "For Military Virtue" is Poland 's highest Military decoration for valor in the face of
She was the latter of two Grom (Thunder)-class destroyers, built for the Polish Navy by J. Samuel White, Cowes. J Samuel White was a British Shipbuilding firm (taking its name from John Samuel White 1838-1915 which came to prominence during the Victorian era. Cowes is an English Seaport town on the Isle of Wight, an island south of Southampton. The name means Lightning. The two Groms were some of the most heavily-armed and fastest destroyers on the seas before World War II.
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Operational history
Two days before the war, on 30 August 1939, the Błyskawica withdrew, along with Grom and Burza destroyers, from the Baltic Sea to Britain in accordance with the Peking Plan to avoid open conflict (and possible destruction) from Germany. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. History Grom was ordered from the British J Samuel White shipyard in Cowes and laid down in 1935 and commissioned in 1937 History ORP Burza (squall or storm was ordered on April 2, 1926 from the French shipyard Chantiers Naval Francais together The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Peking Plan (or Operation Peking) was an operation in which three Destroyers of the Polish Navy, the ''Burza'' ("Storm" From then on they acted in tandem with the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The Home Fleet is the traditional name of the fleet of the Royal Navy that protects the United Kingdom 's territorial waters On 7 September 1939, Błyskawica made contact with and attacked a U-Boat, resulting in possibly the first combat between the Allied and the German fleets. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
In early May 1940, Błyskawica took part in the Norwegian Campaign, shelling German positions and downing two Luftwaffe aircraft. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article describes Allied operations in Norway during World War II ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. Her sister ship Grom was bombed and sunk during the campaign. Later that month, she took part in covering Operation Dynamo, the successful Franco-British evacuation from Dunkirk. The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo by the British was the Evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of the British and Allied forces that had been separated from the main body of the French defenses by the German advance Dunkirk ( French: Dunkerque, dœ̃kɛʀk or; Dutch:; is a harbour city and a commune in the northernmost part of France, in the
During the remainder of the war, Błyskawica took part in convoy and patrol duties, engaging both U-boats and the Luftwaffe in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. In 1941 her 120 mm guns were replaced with British four-inch (102 mm) anti-aircraft guns. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces The ship was also given escort duties to troop transports, notably RMS Queen Mary, Błyskawica being one of the few ships that could keep up with the liner. Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race
On the nights of May 4 and May 5, 1942, Błyskawica was instrumental in defending the Isle of Wight town of Cowes from a potentially devastating air raid by 160 German bombers. Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Isle of Wight is an English Island and county in the English Channel between three and five miles (8 km from the south coast of the Cowes is an English Seaport town on the Isle of Wight, an island south of Southampton. Coincidentally this is where the ship had been built in 1935-7 by J. Samuel White. J Samuel White was a British Shipbuilding firm (taking its name from John Samuel White 1838-1915 which came to prominence during the Victorian era. The ship was undergoing an emergency refit at the shipyard and on the night of the air raid fired repeated rounds at the German bombers from outside the harbour, her guns becoming so hot they had to be doused with water and extra ammunition had to be ferried over from Portsmouth. History See also History of Portsmouth There have been settlements in the area since before Roman times mostly being offshoots of Portchester, which This ensured the bombers had to stay high to avoid the weapons fire, making it hard for them to target properly. Additionally the ship laid down a smokescreen hiding Cowes from sight. Cowes is an English Seaport town on the Isle of Wight, an island south of Southampton. Although a lot of damage was done to the town and the shipyard, it is generally thought that without this defensive action, it would have been far worse. In 2002 the crew's courage was honoured by a local commemoration lasting several days to mark the 60th anniversary of the event. In 2004 an area of Cowes was named Francki Place in honour of the ship's commander. The Isle of Wight Council has approved the idea of having the Błyskawica return to Cowes in 2012 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the event and 75 years since the ship's commissioning. [1]
On 8 June 1944, Błyskawica took part in a battle with the German destroyers at Ushant. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The German Navy ( Deutsche Marine ( is the Navy of Germany and part of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces
During the war, she logged 146,000 nautical miles and escorted eighty-three convoys. A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of Length. It corresponds approximately to one minute of Latitude along any meridian. In combat she damaged three U-boats and shot down at least four aircraft before the war's conclusion in May 1945, also took part in sinking some other ships. U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar
After the war, she returned to Poland. The Order Virtuti Militari ( Latin for "For Military Virtue" is Poland 's highest Military decoration for valor in the face of Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Since 1 May 1976 she has served as a museum ship in Gdynia, replacing Burza. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For ships that are not original see Ship replica. For preserved incomplete ships see Ships preserved in museums. Gdynia (Gdingen (until 1939 Gotenhafen (1939-1945 Gdiniô is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important Seaport History ORP Burza (squall or storm was ordered on April 2, 1926 from the French shipyard Chantiers Naval Francais together In July 2006, Błyskawica was "twinned" with the Canadian destroyer HMCS Haida in a ceremony in Gdynia. Construction Haida was among the first batch of Tribal class destroyers ordered by the RCN in 1940-1941 Both ships served in the 10th Destroyer Flotilla during World War II. The ceremony was attended by former crew members of both ships and the general public. A similar ceremony will take place in Canada with HMCS Haida in 2007. In November 2007 she was awarded the International Maritime Heritage Award of the World Ship Trust.
See also
References
External links
- Further photos on the Polish Wikipedia page
- Cowes street named after Commander of ORP Blyskawica
- Blyskawica may return to Cowes in 2012
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