ORP Piorun (G65)

ORP Piorun was an N-class destroyer used by the Polish Navy during the Second World War, ex HMS Nerissa.

built by John Brown at Cydebank, Glasgow

Laid down - July 1939 Launched - 7 May 1940 Completed - 4 Nov 1940

She transferred to the Polish Navy as a replacement for ORP Grom which was lost off the coast of Norway on 5 May 1940.

She was based in Great Britain, and its commander was Commander Plawski.

On 13th-15th March 1941 she took part in the defence of Clydebank against Luftwaffe air raids, as she happened to be undergoing repairs in John Brown's shipyard. Many people remembered that she put up a terrific barrage on the first night, which may have caused the shipyard to get off comparatively lightly. A memorial to the crew of the ship was later erected in Clydebank.

In May 1941 she was escorting convoy WS8B, along with four Royal Navy destroyers, when they were ordered to leave the convoy to take part in the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck. Piorun took part, along with the British destroyers, in the shadowing of and torpedo attacks on the Bismarck the night before she was sunk, and at one point they had an exchange of fire for half an hour. However, as Piorun was very low on fuel, she was ordered to leave before Bismarck was sunk.

She subsequently operated in the mediterranean and took part in operation Halberd, one of the Malta convoys and operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. In 1944 she trasferred to the home fleet.

She was returned to the UK in 1936 and renamed HMS Noble