DISCONTINUED WAK 04-2009 Polski Niszczyciel ORP Wicher (II)

ORP Wicher II was a Polish destroyer, Soviet production from the Cold War period. The unit entered service in the Soviet Navy in January 1951 and was handed over to the Polish side in 1958. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 120.5 meters, overall width was 12 meters, with a draft of 4.2 meters. On the other hand, the full displacement reached approx. 3,200 tons, and the maximum speed was up to 36 knots. The deck armament at the time of launching included: 4 130 mm guns, 2 85 mm guns and 7 37 mm anti-aircraft guns.

ORP Wicher II (originally Skoryj) belonged to the destroyer class designated as project 30 bis. These units were the most widely produced destroyer type after 1945. In essence, they were also an evolutionary development of the Soviet large-scale destroyers from the Second World War, i.e. the 30 and 30K project units. The changes concerned mainly the propulsion system and electronic equipment, and to a much lesser extent the dimensions, configuration of weapons or the shape of superstructures. ORP Wicher II originally served in the Soviet Navy as Skoryj, and in 1958 it was leased to the Polish side, and in 1965 it was bought by the Polish Navy. The unit was part of the 7th Destroyer Squadron in Poland, and from 1970 it served as a floating base for the 9th Coastal Defense Flotilla. ORP Wicher II was decommissioned in 1974.