A Bourrasque-class destroyer sailed under a Polish ensign from July 1940 to April 1941, using a designation meaning French ship instead of the usual ORP prefix. Most of her crew came from Grom, lost around Narvik in May 1940. Her duties included escorts, raids, and convoy support. Storm damage flooded an engine, while compatible French spare parts remained scarce. Nearly 200 of roughly 300 days under Polish control were spent under repair. The Free French later passed her to the Royal Navy in 1943 because they could not keep her operational. Evacuating a hull without sufficient spares saved the ship but left its new operators unable to sustain it.
Chapter · 42:53-45:07
A Polish-crewed Bourrasque-class destroyer without spares
A Bourrasque-class destroyer transferred to the Free Polish Navy shows how an available hull could still be immobilized by storm damage and missing French spare parts.