ORP Grom (1936)
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ORP Grom
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History | |
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Poland | |
Name | ORP Grom |
Namesake | Thunderbolt |
Laid down | 17 July 1935 |
Launched | 20 July 1936 |
Commissioned | 11 May 1937 |
Out of service | 4 May 1940 |
Fate | Sunk in the Rombaken fjord near Narvik, Norway |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Grom-class destroyer |
Displacement |
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Length | 114 m (374 ft) |
Beam | 11.3 m (37 ft 1 in) |
Draft | 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) |
Propulsion | Two Parsons' steam turbines of 54,000 shp (40,000 kW) altogether, 3 boilers and 2 shafts |
Speed | 39 knots (72 km/h; 45 mph) |
Range | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement | 192 |
Armament |
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ORP Grom was the lead ship of her class of destroyers serving in the Polish Navy during World War II. She was named after the Polish word for Thunderbolt, while her sister ship ORP Błyskawica translates to lightning.
Design
Grom was thought of as a large destroyer, similar to flotilla leaders. She and sister ship ORP Błyskawica were to support the outdated French-built Wicher and Burza in the role of the core of the Polish Navy in a possible conflict. As Poland had only one major seaport, the main task of the Polish naval forces was to secure supplies shipment to and from allied countries. Because of that, the Grom class was designed to fulfill both the role of shore defence and convoy escort and was supposed to be stronger than single enemy destroyers.
Two Parsons
Construction and career
Grom was ordered from the British J. Samuel White shipyard in Cowes and was laid down in 1935. The destroyer was commissioned in 1937.
The commanders of the ship were:
- Lieutenant Commander Stanisław Hryniewiecki - January 25, 1937 - June 20, 1938
- Commander Aleksander Hulewicz - March 13 or. June 20, 1938 - May 4, 1940
On 30 August 1939, the Polish destroyers Błyskawica, Burza, and Grom were ordered to activate the Peking Plan, and the warships headed for Great Britain, from where they were to operate as convoy escorts. On 1 September 1939, Polish destroyers met with the British destroyers Wanderer and Wallace. The British ships led the Polish flotilla to Leith, and in the night the Polish destroyers came to Rosyth.
During her operations in the
The wreck was never raised and it was not until 6 October 1986 that it was explored by divers for the first time.[4]
War memorial
A war memorial for Polish soldiers and sailors who fell during the Battles of Narvik was erected in 1979 on the 40th anniversary of the outbreak of the second world war. The memorial is located in Groms plass in Narvik, a park named after Grom.[5]
References