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{{Short description|World War II Polish destroyer class}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2024}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Blyskawica l d.jpg
|Ship caption=ORP ''Błyskawica''
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Builders=[[J. Samuel White]], [[Cowes]]
|Operators= {{navy|Poland}}
|Class before={{sclass|Wicher|destroyer|4}}
|Class after=*[[Grom-class destroyer (1939)|Improved ''Grom'' class]] (planned)
* {{sclass|Skory|destroyer|4}} (actual)
|Subclasses=
|Built range=
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=2
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=1
|Total ships retired=1
|Total ships preserved=1
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=* 2,144 tons standard
* 2,560 tons full load
|Ship length=114&nbsp;m
|Ship beam=11.3&nbsp;m
|Ship draught=3.3&nbsp;m
|Ship draft=
|Ship propulsion=*Pearson geared turbine engines
* 54,000&nbsp;shp
|Ship speed={{convert|39|kn}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=192
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*'''Initial:'''
* 7 x 4.7&nbsp;in (120&nbsp;mm) (3 × 2, 1 × 1)
* 4 x [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40&nbsp;mm]] AA (2 × 2)
* 8 x [[Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun|13.2 mm MG]] (4 × 2)
* 6 x 21&nbsp;in (533&nbsp;mm) [[torpedo tube]]s (2 × 3)
* [[Depth charge]] throwers
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Grom''-class destroyers''' were two [[destroyer]]s, built for the [[Polish Navy]] by the British company of [[J. Samuel White]], [[Cowes]]. They were laid down in 1935 and commissioned in 1937. The two ''Grom''s were some of the fastest and most heavily armed destroyers of [[World War II]].

==Design==
Despite having ordered its previous pair of destroyers ({{ORP|Burza}} and {{ORP|Wicher|1928|6}}) from [[France]], a country with which it had strong ties, Poland decided to acquire the second pair from the [[United Kingdom]], possibly in recognition of the excellence of British destroyer designs at the time. The selected design resulted in large and powerful ships, superior to German and Soviet destroyers of the time, and comparable to the famous British {{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer (1936)|4}} of 1936.

The main armament was changed from the 130&nbsp;mm used on the {{sclass|Wicher|destroyer}} to the standard British destroyer calibre of 4.7&nbsp;inch (120&nbsp;mm).  However, the guns were not British, but were instead Swedish [[Bofors]] 50cal QF M34/36, the same as those used previously on the minelayer {{ORP|Gryf|1936|6}}.<ref>Whitley, p. 219</ref>

===Original ''Grom'' class===
There were two ships built:
* {{ORP|Grom|1936|6}} - Sunk on 4 May 1940 in [[Ofotfjord]] near [[Narvik (town)|Narvik]]
* {{ORP|Blyskawica}} - Currently preserved as a [[museum ship]] in [[Gdynia]]

===Improved ''Grom'' class===
{{main|Grom class destroyer (1939)}}
Two more ships of this class (''Huragan'' and ''Orkan'') were ordered in 1939 to be built in [[Gdynia]], but war broke out soon after the first was laid down. They would have been the first major modern warships to be built in Poland.

==Operational service==
<!--[[Image:Blyskawica l d.jpg|thumb|right|{{center|ORP ''Błyskawica''}}]]-->
Just before the war broke out, the two destroyers were evacuated to Britain to fight alongside the Royal Navy.  Since they were designed for Baltic operations, they had to be modified to improve stability to operate in the rough waters of the North Sea and the Atlantic. ''Grom'' was sunk in 1940 and in December 1941 ''Błyskawica'', had its 4.7&nbsp;inch guns replaced by eight 4-inch (102&nbsp;mm) guns in twin mountings.  Various other modifications of armaments and sensors were made during the war.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia |year=2000| publisher=Cassell & Co.|location=London|isbn=1-85409-521-8|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}

{{Grom class destroyer}}
{{WWII Polish ships}}

[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:Grom-class destroyers| ]]