7006 POLISH DESTROYER BURZA 1943

ORP Burza was a Polish destroyer (destroyer) from the interwar period, World War II and the post-war period. The keel for this unit was laid in November 1927, the launch took place in April 1929, and the entry into service in the Polish Navy took place in 1932. The length of the ship was 107 meters and a width of 10.2 meters. The displacement reached approx. 2,000 tons and the maximum speed - approx. 30 knots. The armament - at the time of launching - included: 4 130 mm guns, 2 40 mm anti-aircraft guns and 6 533 mm torpedo tubes. ORP Burza was one of two Polish destroyers belonging to the Wicher class, which in turn was built on the basis of the plans of the French Bourrasque type ships. ORP Burza, although not a very modern ship when it entered service, undoubtedly constituted a new quality in the Polish Navy. The unit, however, was not without its drawbacks. First of all, it was relatively slow, it also showed some problems with stability, as well as did not have a very large swimming range - this disadvantage became a considerable disadvantage, especially in the course of later service. ORP Burza was built at the Chantiers Naval Francais shipyard in Blainville-sur-Orne, France. In the interwar period, she paid numerous courtesy visits, representing the Polish flag. On the eve of the outbreak of World War II, implementing the Beijing plan, she went to Great Britain and there - as part of the Polish Armed Forces in the West - continued the fight, writing a glorious page in the history of the Polish Navy. The unit took part in the Norwegian campaign (1940) and in Operation Dynamo, i.e. the evacuation of the Allied forces from Dunkirk at the turn of May and June 1940. Later, it served primarily in the Atlantic, serving as cover for Allied convoys. In 1942, it underwent a thorough modernization. In 1944 she was transferred to the reserve and acted as a training ship. She returned to the country in 1951 and remained in active service until 1960. In the period 1960-1975, it served as a museum ship, and in 1977 it was scrapped.