From Wikipedia, for those wondering: "On 22 May 1941, Piorun, with ships of the British 4th Destroyer Flotilla (HMS Cossack, HMS Maori, HMS Sikh and HMS Zulu), commanded by Captain Philip Vian, provided additional escort to troop convoy WS8B en route from Glasgow to the Indian Ocean. On 25 May, Vian's destroyers (including Piorun) were detached from the convoy to join the search for the German battleship Bismarck.
Piorun took part, along with the British destroyers, in the search for Bismarck (she was the first of the destroyers to spot the German ship). She joined in the shadowing of and torpedo attacks on the German battleship the night before Bismarck was sunk. Arriving first on the scene with the British Tribal-class destroyer Maori, Piorun charged at Bismarck by herself, while Maori manoeuvred for position to fire torpedoes. Alone, Piorun exchanged fire with Bismarck for an hour, with neither side scoring any hits—although after the third salvo, Bismarck missed by only 20 yards (18 m), causing Pławski to pull away.
According to one report (detailed at the Auschwitz I exhibition, Oświęcim, Poland), Pławski transmitted the message "I am a Pole" before commencing fire on Bismarck; other sources say the signal to commence fire was "Trzy salwy na cześć Polski" ("Three salvoes in honour of Poland").[11][12] This manoeuvre and the subsequent withdrawal caused Piorun to lose contact with Bismarck.
Piorun returns to Plymouth after Bismarck has been sunk Another often repeated story, possibly an embellishment, mentions that the Piorun constantly signaled "I am a Pole" using her signal lights for the entirety of the engagement.[citation needed]
Piorun was very low on fuel, so at 05:00 she was ordered home before she had used her torpedoes. Pławski was reluctant to leave the area and ignored Vian's order for an hour before returning to the United Kingdom.[13]"
From Wikipedia, for those wondering: "On 22 May 1941, Piorun, with ships of the British 4th Destroyer Flotilla (HMS Cossack, HMS Maori, HMS Sikh and HMS Zulu), commanded by Captain Philip Vian, provided additional escort to troop convoy WS8B en route from Glasgow to the Indian Ocean. On 25 May, Vian's destroyers (including Piorun) were detached from the convoy to join the search for the German battleship Bismarck.
Piorun took part, along with the British destroyers, in the search for Bismarck (she was the first of the destroyers to spot the German ship). She joined in the shadowing of and torpedo attacks on the German battleship the night before Bismarck was sunk. Arriving first on the scene with the British Tribal-class destroyer Maori, Piorun charged at Bismarck by herself, while Maori manoeuvred for position to fire torpedoes. Alone, Piorun exchanged fire with Bismarck for an hour, with neither side scoring any hits—although after the third salvo, Bismarck missed by only 20 yards (18 m), causing Pławski to pull away.
According to one report (detailed at the Auschwitz I exhibition, Oświęcim, Poland), Pławski transmitted the message "I am a Pole" before commencing fire on Bismarck; other sources say the signal to commence fire was "Trzy salwy na cześć Polski" ("Three salvoes in honour of Poland").[11][12] This manoeuvre and the subsequent withdrawal caused Piorun to lose contact with Bismarck.
Piorun returns to Plymouth after Bismarck has been sunk Another often repeated story, possibly an embellishment, mentions that the Piorun constantly signaled "I am a Pole" using her signal lights for the entirety of the engagement.[citation needed]
Piorun was very low on fuel, so at 05:00 she was ordered home before she had used her torpedoes. Pławski was reluctant to leave the area and ignored Vian's order for an hour before returning to the United Kingdom.[13]"
Squared up, but if they got hit they would have been obliterated, meanwhile their guns would literally do nothing to Bismark. But Poles will be Poles, they wouldn't be them if they didn't try and at least bare fangs at the big dogs.
Squared up, but if they got hit they would have been obliterated, meanwhile their guns would literally do nothing to Bismark. But Poles will be Poles, they wouldn't be them if they didn't try and at least bare fangs at the big dogs.
Depends. With HE, yes. But as Taffey 3 made clear, AP shells from BB guns would likely just overpen and it probably could have taken at least a few hits, depending on where they hit of course. Meanwhile, while DD caliber guns wouldn't have done much, if she had gotten in range and a solution for torps (as I would assume they were planning to) those could have indeed done damage.
Squared up, but if they got hit they would have been obliterated, meanwhile their guns would literally do nothing to Bismark. But Poles will be Poles, they wouldn't be them if they didn't try and at least bare fangs at the big dogs.
While they're not going to penetrate the armor, destroyer guns can still do significant damage to a battleship's superstructure. Just look at Laffey vs Hiei in the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, or Johnston and Samuel B Roberts vs Kurita's Center Force ships at Samar.