page_title: ORP Błyskawica (H34)
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: ORP Błyskawica (H34) / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: IWM caption&#160;: "Gun crews at work cleaning the single 120 mm QF Bofors M34/36 gun on board the Polish destroyer ORP BLYSKAWICA whilst she is in port." The original caption above is wrong as for the gun's type. Most sources credit it as 102 mm (4 in) Mk V AA gun, however it is evidently 76 mm (3 in) AA gun in fact.
context_page_description: ORP Błyskawica is a Grom-class destroyer which served in the Polish Navy during World War II. It is the only Polish Navy ship to have been decorated with the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military order for gallantry, and in 2012 was given the Pro Memoria Medal. Błyskawica is preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia and is the oldest preserved destroyer in the world.
  She was the second of two Grom-class destroyers built for the Polish Navy by J. Samuel White, of Cowes, in 1935–37. The Grom class were two of the most heavily armed and fastest destroyers in World War II.
context_section_description: Two days before the war, on 30 August 1939, Błyskawica withdrew, along with the destroyers Grom and Burza, from the Baltic Sea to Britain in accordance with the Peking Plan to avoid open conflict with Germany and possible destruction. The three destroyers were sighted by German warships, including the cruiser Königsberg on 30 and 31 August, but hostilities had not yet started, and the Polish destroyers passed by unhindered, reaching Leith in Scotland at 17:30 on 1 September 1939. From then on they acted in tandem with the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. On 7 September 1939, Błyskawica made contact with and attacked a U-boat.
  In early May 1940, Błyskawica took part in the Norwegian Campaign, shelling German positions and downing two Luftwaffe aircraft. Her sister ship Grom was bombed and sunk during the campaign. Later that month, she took part in covering Operation Dynamo, the successful British led evacuation from Dunkirk.
  During the rest of the war, Błyskawica took part in convoy and patrol duties, engaging both U-boats and the Luftwaffe in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. In 1941 her 120 mm guns were replaced with British 102 mm (4 in) dual-purpose guns. The ship was also given escort duties for troop transports, notably RMS Queen Mary, being one of the few ships that could keep up with the liner.
  On the night of 4–5 May 1942, Błyskawica was instrumental in defending the Isle of Wight town of Cowes from an air raid by 160 German bombers. The ship was undergoing an emergency refit at the J. Samuel White yard where she had been built and, on the night of the raid, fired repeated rounds at the German bombers from outside the harbour; her guns became so hot they had to be doused with water from the River Medina. Extra ammunition had to be ferried over from Portsmouth. This forced the bombers to stay high, making it difficult for them to target properly. The ship also laid down a smokescreen hiding Cowes from sight. The town and the shipyard were badly damaged, but it is generally considered 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 approved the idea of having Błyskawica return to Cowes in 2012 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the event and the 75th anniversary of the ship's commissioning. There were large celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of Cowes's defence in 2012 lasting several days and attended by Polish warship ORP Toruń. Another large event to commemorate Blyskawica's 75th anniversary was organised by Friends of the ORP Błyskawica Society in May 2017, the Polish Navy Minelayer ORP Gniezno arrived at the port to take part in the celebrations.
  In March 1943 Błyskawica replaced HMS Lightning, which was sunk by E-boats on 12 March 1943, in Cruiser Force Q based at Bône, North Africa. In January 1944, the Błyskawica was assigned to the Anglo-Polish-Canadian 10th Destroyer Flotilla that battled the Kriegsmarine for the control of the English Channel. The Canadian sailors could not pronounce the  name of the Błyskawica correctly and always called her the "bottle of whiskey". On 8 June 1944, the Błyskawica took part in the Battle of Ushant against Kriegsmarine destroyers.
  During the war, she logged 146,000 nautical miles (270,000 km) and escorted 83 convoys. In combat she damaged three U-boats, helped sink other ships, and shot down at least four aircraft. In late 1945 and early 1946 Błyskawica, along with the destroyer Onslow, took part in Operation Deadlight, the scuttling of over 100 German U-boats.
  In the spring of 1947, Blyskawica was transferred to the new government, but it was not until 1 July 1947 that she sailed out of Rosyth under the Polish People’s Navy flag. A few days later on July 4, Blyskawica docked in Gdynia.
  In the first few years of its return to Poland, Blyskawica was used as a training ship and cruised with officer cadets on board. I
caption: Crew cleaning a 76 mm anti-aircraft gun on ORP Błyskawica, 12 September 1940
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