WAK 10-2022 ORP Garland

ORP Garland (original name: HMS Garland) was a British, and later Polish destroyer, especially from the Second World War. The keel for this vessel was laid in 1934, and the launch took place in October 1935. The unit was commissioned in March 1936. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 98.5 meters and a width of 10.05 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 1,850 tons, and the maximum speed was approx. 34-35 knots. The armament (in 1944) consisted of, among others, 2 120 mm guns, 6 20 mm cannons and 4 533 mm torpedo tubes.

ORP Garland was one of the eight G-class destroyers. These ships were built as medium-sized destroyers with traditional hull and superstructure architecture. The units, however, had a relatively high maximum speed and good armament, which was changed during the war. HMS Garland was handed over to the Polish Navy (PMW) in May 1940 shortly after the outbreak of World War II. In the summer of 1940, the ship took a very limited part in the struggle in the Mediterranean Sea. In the same year, he was transported to the British Isles, from where (from September 1940) he took part in the Battle of the Atlantic. In May 1942, during the cover of the PQ-16 convoy, it was badly damaged by the Luftwaffe. At the end of 1943 ORP Garland was rebuilt as an escort destroyer and re-shipped back to the Mediterranean Sea in April 1944. The ship was returned to the Royal Navy in 1946, which in turn sold it to the Dutch Navy, where it served as a frigate and a training ship from 1949 to 1964.