Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Quad pom pom...Polish N Class Destroyer ORP Piorun,c1943.

Another view of ORP Piorun

Jim

What a beautiful ship she was !!!

CDR Plawski the first CO of ORP Piorun in his memories wrote that all the former crew members of the ship loved her to their last days on this world. For them it was absolutely best ship in the whole world.
Piorun must be remembered from his action against Bismarck being attached to CPT Vian's Tribal flotilla.
As Plawski said he had absolutely no clue how to join Tribals in their forming for torpedo attack on the battleship and choosed not to interfere the Brits in their coordinated attack.
Unfortunately an experienced HM Liaison Officer and destroyerman who would help carry out the torpedo attack was replaced before the action by a RNVR SubLt who knew nothing about it.
Instead Piorun commenced gun fire to attract the Germans and thus making torpedo attack easier.
The Germans returned fire , destroyer was straddled but not hit.
On the deck of Piorun its crew observed a lone Swordfish torpedo attack on Bismarck who fired everything they had - and missed - . the Polish all kept their fingers crossed and prayed for the brave crew to survive.
The above is the historical fact and names of the "late" a/c crew are known.
One of the FAA airmen who took part in attacks on the battleship wrote that ".....CPT Vian had to restrain the Polish who wanted to ram the Bismarck..."
Nice words but not true of course. Actually after morning fuel status report Vian ordered Piorun to return to base because fuel was critically low.
Plawski remembers that Piorun like all the ships of the destroyer class ( I mean all in the world) and some 1:10 proportion of lenght to beam was difficult to handle on high seas and wind from behind.
He remembers that going line abreast at one moment Piorun and Eskimo became uncontrolable by steering and worse were turning towards each other. Both avoided collision by desperate engine operation.
The same happened when Piorun was close to one of the stalking HM cruisers. Piorun was lying on its side showing half of her bottom to the cruiser crew which was commented that "..at least we may show the Brits that Polish ship goes to action even on its side".
At one moment the ship rolled so heavily that all on the bridge piled up in mess of human bodies. Plawski himself was lying under a British signaller who politely asked "...are you comfortable, Sir?"...

Piorun had big days being part of the famous international (Brits, Canadian and PL destroyers) 10th DF but this is another and long, well known story.

gd