Armada: Orkan

History

In November 1939, a naval agreement was concluded between the Polish government-in-exile and the British government. One of its clauses stated that the Polish Navy, which was participating in the war as part of the Royal Navy, would have the opportunity to strengthen itself with British ships that would be provided on a rental basis. After the end of the war, they were to be returned. The Polish Navy received a total of ten ships, among which ORP Orkan was the last destroyer and penultimate large ship.

The ship's construction was carried out at Fairfield, the famous Scottish shipyard in Glasgow. It was started in 1939 and finished in 1942. Initially, the vessel was named HMS Myrmidon, after the mythical ancient Greek nation of Myrmidons. Upon her transfer to the Polish Navy on December 5, 1942, the destroyer received a traditional name, that of a weather phenomenon—Orkan (Polish for "storm"). Her crew was composed of Polish volunteers, half of whom had never served on a warship before.

The destroyer debuted in combat in winter, 1943, when she participated in escorting Arctic convoys JW-52 and JW-53 from Iceland to Murmansk, and subsequently—returning convoys RA-52 and RA-53. Orkan fended off 17 German submarine attacks and 12 German aircraft raids. The ship received no damage, but many of her crew members suffered due to the Arctic Ocean’s severe winter storms.

In September 1943, Orkan, together with various British destroyers, started escorting convoys to Canada and back. In the morning of October 8, the Polish ship spotted German submarine U-378 while escorting convoy SC 143. The enemy was the first to attack. The acoustic torpedo hit Orkan and caused the destroyer's fuel tanks to explode. The ship became engulfed in flames, which led to her ammunition detonating. Orkan quickly sank. Just 1 hour later, Musketeer—a destroyer of the same class—managed to pick up 43 out of more than 240 people that had been aboard.

Modeling the Ship

Dual-purpose artillery: three 120 mm/50 QF Mk XI twin artillery mounts and one 102 mm/45 Mk V AA gun.

Torpedo armament: one quadruple-tube 533 mm QR Mk IV torpedo launcher.

Anti-aircraft armament: four 40 mm/39 QF Mk VII automatic AA guns and six 20 mm Oerlikon Mk IV automatic AA guns.

Commanding Orkan

Commander with 10 skill points

• Priority Target

• Last Stand

• Superintendent

• Concealment Expert

Commander with 19 skill points

• Priority Target

• Last Stand

• Superintendent

• Concealment Expert

• Survivability Expert

• Basic Firing Training

• Adrenaline Rush

• Preventive Maintenance

Upgrades

• Main Armaments Modification 1

• Engine Room Protection

• Aiming Systems Modification 1

• Propulsion Modification 1

• Concealment System Modification 1

Orkan in Combat

Destroyer VIII Orkan was built in Britain, but fought under the Polish flag during World War II. She escorted polar convoys and was eventually sunk by submarine U-378 in the North Atlantic. In World of Warships, the ship represents Europe. Orkan is efficient at hunting down enemy destroyers. Her main advantages are provided by her rapid-firing artillery, fast torpedoes, and the Surveillance Radar consumable she carries—a rare feature for destroyers.

Key features

• Six 120 mm guns placed in three turrets. Reload time—4.5 seconds. Her HE shells have good chances of causing fire on targets for their caliber — 9%.

• Orkan is one of just a few destroyers that have secondary armament. With her 102 mm gun, you can surprise everyone by earning the Close Quarters Expert achievement while playing the destroyer.

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