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ORP Blyskawica

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ORP Błyskawica (Lightning) is a Grom-class destroyer, built for the Polish Navy in 1936. She was built by J. Samuel White shipyard, as a part of strengthening the Polish Navy in the face of growing threat from both the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. She was 114 m long, had a displacement of 2,011 tonnes and carried a crew of 192 men. Her steam turbines gave her a top speed of 39 knots (~72 kph). Her armament consisted of seven 120 mm guns, two twin Bofors 40 mm guns, eight 13.2 mm machine guns, and six 550 mm torpedo tubes. She could also carry depth charges and mines. Her sister ship was ORP Grom (Thunder; early Polish destroyers were named after meteorological events, but later on there were many exceptions).

On the eve of the Second World War, as a part of Operation Peking (Beijing), Polish destroyers - Grom, Błyskawica and Burza (Storm) withdrew from the Baltic Sea and moved to Britain. Polish command realistically established that in case of war, they'll be trapped in the Baltic Sea and likely destroyed by the Germans. This proved correct when ORP Wicher (Gale) was sunk by the German forces on September 3rd 1939 without even leaving its port.

In service under the Royal Navy, Błyskawica's armament was replaced by 4 inch (101,6 mm) guns to use the British ammunition. In 1940, Błyskawica took part in the Norwegian Campaign, where her sister ship Grom was hit by the German Heinkel He-111 bomber and sank. She then covered the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, before the Fall of France.

Since then, Błyskawica was present in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, supporting the Allied war effort, attacking U-Boats and protecting convoys. On May 4th/5th 1942, she had a chance to repay J. Samuel White's shipyard for its creation: while she was on repair in Cowes, the Germans launched an air raid aimed at the city. Błyskawica stood as a floating anti-aircraft battery, forcing the bombers to fly at high altitude, reducing their accuracy. It also used its smokescreening devices to cover the city. While the town and port were heavily damaged, citizens of Cowen were grateful for Błyskawica's protection, believing that had the destroyer not been there, the city would be razed to the ground.

Finally, Błyskawica took part in Operation Overlord, most prominently during the Battle of Ushant, where a group of German destroyers tried to stop the Allied landings in Normandy. Supported by another destroyer, ORP Piorun (famous for his clash with German battleship Bismarck) and several British and Canadian vessels, Błyskawica repelled the German attack. It was one of the last battles between German and Allied surface vessels of the Second World War.

When it became apparent that the Allies had left Poland to fall into the Soviet hands, the fate of Polish destroyers in Great Britain (Błyskawica, Piorun, Conrad and Garland) was uncertain. Some sailors did not want to return to the Soviet-occupied country and decided to leave in Britain. Finally, Błyskawica alone returned to Poland in 1947, while the rest of the ships were transfered back to the Royal Navy. Only 32 sailors of its original crew remained on the ship; most of them refused to serve in the communist forces and left the navy.

Błyskawica remained in service for years after the war. However, the communist regime took toll on ship's reputation. In 1950, all signs of ship's cooperation with the Royal Navy, including memorial plaques, were removed, and Zbigniew Węglarz, commander of the ship, was put on a mock trial, allegadly for sabotage, sentencing him to 8 years in prison. In 1951, Błyskawica was sent to retrieve the crew of Polish minesweeper ORP Żuraw, who mutined against the communist regime and escaped to Sweden.

On August 9th 1967, a tragic accident occured onboard the ship: a high pressure steam pipe ruptured in Błyskawica's engine room, scalding sailors with extremely hot steam. Despite the immediate action, three sailors died immediately and five later from their burns. Błyskawica's reparation cost proved to be intolerably high. She was moved to Świnoujście as a floating anti-aircraft battery, where she remained until 1974, when it was decided that the ORP Burza, serving as a museum ship in Gdynia, will be scrapped and replaced by Błyskawica.

Since 1975, Błyskawica is permanently moored at the Southern Pier in Gdynia, serving as a museum ship and a part of Polish Navy Museum. In 1990, due to the risk that she might share Burza's fate, a massive action was launched, during which the neccessary funds were gathered, saving the ship from scrapping. Currently, Błyskawica is the oldest preserved destroyer in the world. She has a crew of sailors that care for the ship, repairing it when needed and serving the visitors who come onboard the ship.
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zanetwinsfromsodor's avatar

Dayum, she looking really beautiful here!