(Scot)

ORP Błyskawica played a significant role in escorting convoys during World War II, participating in at least 83 convoy missions across the Atlantic, Arctic, and Mediterranean theaters. This section covers some of the notable convoys that she was involved in and details of all that I have found online so far.
ATLANTIC CONVOYS
The Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945) This was the longest continuous military campaign of World War II, running from September 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. The years 1939–1942 were especially perilous and pivotal for Allied shipping, with the survival of Britain often hanging in the balance. From the outset of the war, Britain was heavily dependent on maritime supply lines for food, fuel, raw materials, and military equipment. To protect these vital lifelines from German U-boat (submarine) attacks, the British reinstated the convoy system, where merchant ships were grouped together and escorted by warships such as destroyers, corvettes, and sloops. Convoys typically traveled from North America, the Caribbean, and British colonies to the UK, and later from the UK to the Soviet Union via Arctic routes. German U-boats aimed to disrupt these supply chains and starve Britain into submission. They were very successful at first, with ~1,778 ships (9.5 million tons GRT) sunk during 1939 to the end of 1943. By 1943, after the United States entered the war, the situation was still dire, but Allied organization, technology, and intelligence (notably RADAR, SONAR and ULTRA decrypts of German naval Enigma codes) began to shift the balance. Escort carriers, long-range aircraft, and improved anti-submarine tactics helped turn the tide though the convoys continued right up until the end of the war, but casualties were reduced to 211 ships (~1 million tons) sunk during the last two and a half years of the war.
Convoy HN-24 (April 1940): In April 1940, Błyskawica, along with Polish destroyers Burza and Grom, joined British destroyer HMS Tartar to escort Convoy HN-24. This convoy consisted of 31 merchant ships evacuating from Norway to England, some carrying Norwegian gold. The convoy reached Britain without any losses.
SC-94 (August 1942): In August 1942, Błyskawica was ordered to reinforce the escort of Convoy SC-94, a slow convoy traveling from Canada to Great Britain. During this mission, she defended the convoy against U-boat attacks.
Escort of RMS Queen Mary (October 1942): In October 1942, Błyskawica escorted the RMS Queen Mary to Scotland. The Queen Mary, serving as a troop transport, had collided with and sunk her escort, HMS Curacoa. Błyskawica was one of the few ships capable of matching the Queen Mary's speed, making her suitable for this escort duty.
Other notable convoy and individual escortees: October 3, 1944: Convoy AT.65 - SS Aquitania, carrying 7,984 troops. October 29, 1944: Convoy TA.159 - Queen Elizabeth (carrying 2,500 troops) and Dominion Monarch. November 16, 1944: Convoy AT.171 - MS Pasteur and Ile de France. September 30, 1945: MS Mauretania, departing Greenock. October 9-10, 1945: HMS Indefatigable, en route from Greenock to Portsmouth. December 14, 1944: MS Sobieski.
ICELANDIC CONVOYS
Icelandic Convoys: Historical Context (1939–1945) Iceland’s location was pivotal in the North Atlantic theatre—roughly halfway between the UK and North America, making it an ideal stopover, refueling, repair and staging point, and an escort and communications base for Atlantic convoys. After the fall of Denmark in April 1940, Iceland declared neutrality, but was occupied by Britain in May 1940 to prevent a possible German takeover. In 1941, Britain passed control passed to the, then neutral, United States, shortly before America officially entered the war after the Pearl Harbour Attack in 1942.
Icelandic Convoy Operations (1941–1942): From December 1941, Błyskawica resumed escort duties for Icelandic convoys, covering approximately 20,000 miles during this period. Notably, on January 2, 1942, while escorting the passenger ship Queen Elizabeth, she was involved in defending the convoy SC-94 from U-boat attacks.
Convoy PQ.13 To Murmansk (March 1942): Departure and Escort Duties: Błyskawica left from Loch Ewe and joined Convoy PQ.13 on March 10, 1942 and it left on March 13, heading towards Murmansk, USSR. ORP Błyskawica was part of the initial escort group, accompanying the convoy on hte Icelandic secction from March 10 to March 17, 1942. Convoy Composition: The convoy consisted of 19 merchant ships, including vessels from Britain, the United States, Poland, Panama, and Honduras. Challenges Faced: The convoy encountered severe Arctic weather conditions, including heavy seas and ice, which caused delays and disorganization. Additionally, German forces launched attacks using aircraft, U-boats, and surface ships, resulting in the loss of five merchant ships and one escort vessel. Outcome: Despite the losses, 15 merchant ships successfully arrived in Murmansk, delivering essential supplies to the Soviet Union.
CONVOY DETAILS [A Work In Progress]
CONVOY MISSION ENGAGED MERCHANT SHIPS ESCORTS ESCORT/NOTES FN.33 Nov 1939: Southend to Methil, Scotland Nov 8, 1939 3 9, also including Burza and Grom See Note Below* FN.48 Dec 1939: Southend to Methil, Scotland Dec 3, 1939 1 5 See Note Below* HG.1 Sep 1939: Gibraltar - Liverpool September 26, 1940 28 8 The first Homeward from Gibraltar convoy HN.25 Apr 1940: Norwegian Waters - Methil, Scotland April 9-12, 1940 42 4 ORP Bursza, ORP Grom and HMS Zulu OA.206 Aug 1940: Methil, Scotland - Dispersed Aug 30 - Sep 3, 1940 50 8, including ORP Bursza SL/MKS.44 Aug 1940: Freetown - Liverpool Sep 3-9, 1940 28 10 Freetown,Sierra Leone -> Gibraltar -> Liverpool OB.254 Dec 1940: Liverpool - Dispersed Dec 4-6, 1940 3 6 OB.285 Feb 1941: Liverpool - Dispersed Feb 11-13, 1941 44 6 TC.16 Dec 1941: Halifax - Clyde Dec 22, 1941 3 12 SD.19 Jan 1942: Iceland to Clyde Jan 1-4, 1942 2, including Sobiesi 3 DS.21 Jan 1942: Clyde - Iceland Jan 28 - Feb 1, 1942 Orbita 2 Skate SD.21 Feb 1942: Iceland - Clyde Feb 2-4, 1942 Orbita 2 SC.69 Feb 1942: Halifax - Liverpool Feb 22-27, 1942 27 16 PQ.13 Mar 1942: Loch Ewe - Murmansk March 10-17, 1942 21 41 UR.17 Mar 1942: Loch Ewe - Reykjavik March 27-31, 1942 12 4 RU.17 & QP.9 Apr 1942: Reykjavik - Loch Ewe April 3-7,1942 28 3 PW.189 July 1942: Portsmouth - Milford Haven July 20-22, 1942 0 2, including ORP Krakowiak See Note Below** WS.21 August 1942: Malta Convoy - Clyde to Gibraltar August 2-6, 1942 14 24 at various times SC.94 Aug 1942: Sydney, Nova Scotia - Liverpool August 9, 1942 35 16 10 merchant ships sunk AT.21 Sep 1942: Halifax - Clyde September 5, 1942 RMS Queen Elizabeth 4 HMSs Castleton. Curacao and Wells SC.100 Sep 1942: Halifax - Liverpool September 26, 1942 26 21 4 merchant ships sunk AT.24 Sep 1942: New York - Clyde October 2, 1942 RMS Queen Mary 8 Queen Mary acccidentally sank HMS Curacao KMF.1 Oct 1942: Clyde - Oban Nov 6-8, 1942 40, including MS Batory, carrying a total of 28,463 troops 36 MKF.1A Nov 1942: Algiers - Gibraltar Nov 13-14, 1942 4 3 MKF.4Y Dec 1942: Bône - Clyde Dec 12 - 14, 1942 7 11 Bône is now called Annaba, Algeria. HX&ON? 1943: Escort Duties (North Atlantic and Western Approaches). January-March, 1943 - - Operated from Greenock and Londonderry. SL/MKS.129 May 1943: Freetown - Rendezvous with MKS.13 May 11-24, 1943 47 9 Freetown,Sierra Leone -> Gibraltar -> Liverpool MKS.13 May 1943: Bougie - Gibraltar May 19-22, 1943 9 3 Bougie is now Béjaïa, Algeria. CW&OW? 1943: Channel and Coastal Convoy Escort. September-October, 1943 - - Coastal Westbound and Outward from Thames Estuary. AT.65 October 1943: New York - Clyde October 1 - 9, 1943 Aquitania, carrying 7,984 troops 1 KMF/MKF 1943: Gibraltar and Western Mediterranean Approaches November, 1943 - - Redeployed South along Iberian coastlines. TA.159 October 1944: Clyde - Boston October 29, 1944 9, including RMS Queen Elizabeth 3 AT.171 Nov 1944: New York - Liverpool December 6-7, 1944 Pasteur with 4,398 troops 3, including ORP Piorun *The high number of escorts was due to the threat of air attacks after enemy reconnaissance planes were spotted along the route. **The westbound merchant ships weren't ready, so the escorts left to meet their next Eastbound group.
CONCLUSIONS
Besides the above convoys, ORP Błyskawica was regularly involved in operations in extreme northern latitudes, including engagements against German shipping and U-boats in the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea. Throughout the war, Błyskawica's escorted 83 convoys, conducting 108 operational patrols in all, in which she sunk two enemy warships, damaged three submarines and shot down at least four aircraft.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Constructing this set of information on the ORP Blyskawica involved a lot of online research. I would like to acknowedge the following sources:
Convoys: Arnold Hague Convoy Database at ConvoyWeb Imperial War Museums Naval-History.net Detailed ship movements: Admiralty War Diaries at NAVAL-HISTORY.NET Photographs: Citations appear in captions when the source is known. Polish Naval History: "Poland's Navy 1918-1945" by Michael Alfred Peszke. Timelines: Supplemented with help from ChatGPT.