Grom
Info History Operational History Technical Data

ORP Grom was launched on 20.VII.1936, in John Samuel White in Cowes, her captain was cmdr. Stanislaw Hryniewiecki. After final trials Grom sailed to Gdynia where she arrived on 16.V.1937. On 29.VI.1937 Grom for the first time took part in the Sea Parade. Two months later together with Burza and Wicher, Grom visited Tallinn and Riga. On 22.VIII.1938 Grom this time with her sister ship Blyskawica is revisiting the Dutch Navy in Copenhagen. On 28.II.1939 because of the navigation error ship run aground and slightly damaged both screws. In June 1939 new commander was appointed cmdr. Aleksander Hulewicz.

On 30.VIII.1939 Grom, Blyskawica and Burza sailed out from Gdynia directing to Leith, under "Operation Peking". During transition to England, destroyers were twice spotted by the German U-boats.
Grom before the war
On 1.IX.1939 squadron reached the shores of England. Two days later Grom, with other destroyers, was moved to Rosyth, where she received tactical number H 71. On 7.IX.1939 Blyskawica, Burza and Grom carried out an unsuccessful attack on a German U-boat U-27, 10 miles to South from South Uist, at 14:30 hours. Apparently the U-boat attacked the destroyers but missed when it turned for a counterattack. Possibly the first attack on a U-boat in the war. Two days later together with Blyskawica, Grom bombed the possible position of the U-boat near Pembroke. In the middle of September '39 Grom was patrolling the area of the English Channel. On 28.X.1939 Grom with Blyskawica again without any success attacked enemy U-boat. In the end of the October Grom was rebased to Harwich, from which ship was patrolling the area of the North Sea. In the beginning of January 1940 Grom was staying in the shipyard in Chatham for short repairs, where the second torpedo turret was removed and one 102 mm AA gun was mounted. Also some small changes were made in the equipment of the ship. In the April 1940 Grom was moved to Rosyth. On 17 and 18.IV.1940 Grom was escorting damaged by Luftwaffe English heavy cruiser Suffolk.

On 22.IV.1940 Grom sailed to Norway, where she was operating Narvik. Grom was bombing enemy positions in Rombaken Fiord, where the Swedish iron ore from Ulea to Narvik was transported by train. On 3.V.1940 Grom was damaged by antitank 88 mm gun, but 3 German batteries were destroyed by Polish gunfire. Next day at 8 am, two German He-111 bombers were spotted, and shortly afterwards the third one. The last bomber dropped six bombs from 5400 m. And miraculously, two bombs hit the target, one hit torpedo turret, second one hit the water very close to the board and ripped of 20 m of plating. With the ship 55 hand were lost.