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Photographs of the Polish WWII destroyer ORP Błyskawica

ORP Błyskawica [Vessel of the Republic of Poland “The Lightning” ] is a Polish warship, which is currently used as a ship-museum in Gdynia’s port. The unit served during the World War II from the first till the last days of fighting. The photos were taken by me in June 2015 and September 2017.

ORP Błyskawica was one of three Polish destroyers (next to the ORP Grom and ORP Burza), which were sent to Great Britain on August 30 1939, immediately before the World War II began. From there, she took part in military operations alongside the British Navy from the first to the last days of the war, serving, among others, at Narvik, near Dunkirk, in the Atlantic, during the Operation Overlord and in the Battle of Ushant.

After the war in 1947, the ship returned to Poland and was transferred to the new government. In 1975 she ended her active service. ORP Błyskawica was awarded the Golden Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari and the “Pro Memoria” Medal.

Currently, Błyskawica, as the oldest surviving destroyer in the world, serves as a ship-museum in the port of Gdynia. We strongly encourage you to visit and visit her. More information can be found below:

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