ORP Piorun
Survived
Polish Navy, then Royal Navy
| Type | Destroyer |
|---|---|
| Class | N |
| War | Second World War |
| Main guns | 6 × 4.7″ guns in 3 twin mounts |
Service
| 1940–1946 | Piorun Lent to Poland while building as HMS Nerissa | |
| from 1946 | Noble |
Built as HMS Nerissa and lent to the Polish Navy in 1940 to replace Grom, sunk off Narvik. On the night of 26 May 1941 she found Bismarck first and engaged her alone for an hour, her captain signalling "I am a Pole". Returned to Britain in 1946 and renamed Noble.
Armament and specifications
Armament
- 3 × twin 4.7 in (120 mm) guns
- 1 × single 4 in (102 mm) AA gun
- 4 × single 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns
- 2 × twin 0.5 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
- 1 × quintuple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
- 45 × depth charges, 1 × rack, 2 × throwers
| Builder | John Brown & Company, Clydebank |
|---|---|
| Laid down | 26 July 1939 |
| Launched | 7 May 1940 |
| Commissioned | 4 November 1940 |
| Displacement | 1,773 long tons (1,801 t) (standard) 2,384 long tons (2,422 t) (deep load) |
| Length | 356 ft 6 in (108.7 m) (o/a) |
| Speed | 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) |
| Complement | 183 |
As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.
Career
Launched
7 May 1940
Vian's night attacks on Bismarck
Survived
26–27 May 1941
First to sight and engage Bismarck
Battle of Ushant
Survived
9 June 1944
Renamed HMS Noble
1946
Fate
Survived
Scrapped, 1955