ET8-2010 POLSKI NISZCZYCIEL ORP ORKAN

ORP Orkan (original name: HMS Myrmidon) was a British and later Polish destroyer from the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in December 1939, and the launch took place in March 1942. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 110.5 meters and a width of 11.2 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 2,660 tons, and the maximum speed was approx. 35 knots. The armament included 6 120mm universal guns in three twin turrets, a single 102mm cannon, and 4 533mm torpedo tubes. ORP Orkan was one of the eight M-class destroyers. These units were built as large destroyers, intended to be compatible with larger Royal Navy ships, and were intended to serve as shielding ships for the fleet's teams. The design of the M-type units was based on the solutions used in the successful J-type. The main change concerned the use of universal main artillery, based on new-design guns, which, however, were delayed in development and implementation. The unit entered service in the Royal Navy under the name HMS Myrmidon in March 1942, but in December of the same year it was transferred to the Polish Navy. Under the Polish flag (already as ORP Orkan), the ship served mainly in the cover of Atlantic convoys and convoys on the Great Britain-USSR route. It was also ORP Orkan who transported the coffin with the body of General Sikorski from Gibraltar to the British Isles. The vessel was sunk on October 8, 1943 while covering the SC 143 convoy. The ship became a grave for 198 people.