From the Baltic to the Atlantic. The war that created the legend of the ORP "Split" [Part 2]

When the ORP destroyer Lightning He entered the service, was the pride of the young fleet and symbol of the ambition of the Second Republic. However, it was only the war to show how much steel, design and people standing on the captain's bridge of this ship were really worth.

In the first part We recalled how our destroyer was built in the British shipyard J. Samuel White and as one of the most modern destroyers of his era entered service in 1937. The ship had potential and modern design for those times — He lacked only one thing: experience in combat activities at sea, but this is soon nice to change.

War comes faster than expected

The summer of 1939 was the last peaceful time for Polish destroyers. There was tension in the air, and subsequent intelligence reports left no illusions — The conflict with Nazi Germany was only a matter of time.

The Naval Command was aware of one thing: in the event of war, Polish destroyers can be cut off from freedom of action very quickly. Germany then had a clear advantage at sea and in the air, and the exit from the Baltic to the West led through the Danish Straits, which remained within their control and recognition. In practice, this meant that modern ships could have been destroyed in the first days of the war or trapped in ports.

Therefore, a decision was made that may have seemed surprising at first.

A few days before the outbreak of the war, the three most valuable Polish destroyers — ORP Lightning, ORP Thunder and ORP Storm — They were ordered to leave the Baltic Sea and move to Britain. This operation went back to history as a "Peking" plan.

On August 30, 1939, ships left Gdynia and chose course West. It was a difficult decision, but necessary. Instead of fighting in their own waters, they were to continue fighting alongside Royal Navy ships — where there was still a real chance of effective action.

On September 1, Germany attacked Poland, ORP Lightning It was already outside the Baltic. She did not participate in defence of the Polish coast, she did not shoot the enemy in the first days of the war. It may have looked like an escape to many.

In fact, it was a decision that saved the ship. — And let him fight for years to come.

♪ 'Cause though ♪ Lightning She left the Baltic, the war got to her very quickly. There was no one in the Atlantic. safe trails No easy patrols. Each trip to the sea meant a risk of encountering German submarines, aviation or water raiders.

That's where the real combat service of our destroyer began.

Narwik and first major clashes at seaau

In the spring of 1940, the war ceased to be a patrol and shield service for ORP Lightning. The Norwegian campaign became for the Polish destroyer the first really heavy combat attempt. After the German aggression against Norway, the ship was directed to the Narvik area, where it participated in Allied activities, shelling German positions on the shore and supporting fighting fought around the fjords.

There the crew first entered the reality of war waged under constant threat from the air and under fire from land. Lightning was damaged in the Narvik area, and soon afterwards the Allies and Polish Polish Navy they suffered a painful loss in the form of a sinking of the twin ORP Grom. It was in Norway that the ship ceased to be only a modern destroyer. He became a front unit to fight, withstand pressure, and return to action despite growing fatigue of people and equipment.

Cowes – The Night That Signed Up in History

In early May 1942, ORP Lightning It was located in British Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The ship underwent repairs after damage sustained during the stormin the North Atlantic. He was in a town where a few years earlier he was born — at J. Samuel White shipyard, where both ORPs were built before the war Thunderas well as the ORP Lightning.

On the evening of May 4, 1942, an air alarm went out over the city. The German raid aimed primarily at shipbuilding and port infrastructure in Cowes and East Cowes. — important to the British war industry.

The ship's commander, Lieutenant Commander Wojciech Francki, predicted the possibility of an attack, had previously halted the routine deshipment of ammunition before the start of repairs. This decision allowed the destroyer's anti-aircraft artillery to be used immediately.

When German Luftwaffe bombers appeared above the city, from the ORP deck Lightning anti-aircraft fire opened. The ship engaged in defending the city, strengthening existing anti-aircraft defense positions. The raid lasted several hours, and the bombs fell on both shipbuilding and urban buildings.

The city suffered significant losses. About 70 inhabitants died, many buildings were destroyed or damaged, however the shipyard — Main purpose of the raid — has not been excluded from work.

Upon completion of the attack, the destroyer's crew engaged in a rescue operation. The sailors helped put out the fires, remove the damage, and help injured residents.

The events of that night were permanently recorded in the history of both the city and the ship. To this day, in Cowes the memory of the participation of Polish sailors in the defence of the city is maintained during annual anniversary celebrations.

The war isn't over yet.

The night at Cowes was history, but for the crew ORP Lightning The war continued. The destroyer returned to duty and again went out to sea — to escort convoys, patrols and further combat operations. The Atlantic was still an arena of constant fighting, and everyone voyage signify new threats and further tests for people and equipment.

Over the years, fatigue grew, the ship was used, and the war tested the endurance of the entire crew. Still ours. Lightning continued in the ministry until the end of the war — returning from patrols, embarking on further cruises and writing down the next chapters of their history.

In the next part of this story we will move to June 1944 — to the waters of the Channel Channel and the coast of Normandy. There, the Polish destroyer supported the landing of the Allied during Operation Overlord, and then took part in a clash near Ushant Island, which ended with the sinking of the German destroyer ZH1 and the disposal of another enemy unit.

It was there that the ORP of Lightning wrote one of the most militant chapters of its war story.

I'll tell you in the next part.