WoWs Destroyer Błyskawica

Overview

According to the plans for Operation Peking, ORP Błyskawica and her sister ship ORP Grom broke through to Great Britain in September 1939, where she was upgraded for operations in the North Atlantic. In 1940, the ship participated in the Norwegian campaign and the Dunkirk evacuation. The destroyer took part in escorting and patrolling operations in the Atlantic and escorted military transports. In 1944, Błyskawica fought against German destroyers in the battle off the island of Ouessant, covering the troop landings in Normandy. After being handed over to the new Polish government, the destroyer was modernized, and her main battery and anti-aircraft guns were replaced with Soviet-style weapons. In May 1976, Błyskawica became a museum ship in Gdynia.