ORP ''Ślązak'' (Polish for '' Silesian'') was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Initially laid down in 1940 for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

as HMS ''Bedale'', in 1942 she was commissioned by the

Polish Navy The Polish Navy (; often abbreviated to ) is the Navy, naval military branch , branch of the Polish Armed Forces. The Polish Navy consists of 46 ships and about 12,000 commissioned and enlisted personnel. The traditional ship prefix in the Polish ...

in the West. After World War II, she was leased to the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

in 1953, where she served as a training ship until 1976. She was scrapped in 1979.

History as ORP ''Ślązak''

''Ślazak'' was commissioned on 17 April 1942. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she took part in 32

patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology The word "patrol" is derived from the Frenc ...

s and escorted 104

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

s.Kozłowski, Wiszenko:
ORP Ślązak L26
polishgreatness.com ''Ślązak'' was one of eight Hunt-class ships that took part in the

Dieppe Raid Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a ...

. At Dieppe she saved 85 soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Canada, trapped at the beach after landing. During the invasion of Normandy she was supporting the landing at

Sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

. She was the lead destroyer for the lead flotilla of minesweepers that morning, which was symbolic because the invasion of Poland by German forces had initiated the conflict. As a convoy escort her crew shot down five enemy aircraft (and possibly three more). After the war she was decommissioned in 1946 and transferred back to the Royal Navy.

History as INS ''Godavari''

HMS ''Bedale'' was leased to the

in 1952. She underwent a refit by the

Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

shipyard at Birkenhead, and was commissioned as INS ''Godavari'' on 27 April 1953. In April 1959, the lease was converted into a sale. Along with INS ''Gomati'' and INS ''Ganga'' she formed part of the 22nd Destroyer squadron. She served as a training ship until 23 March 1976 when she ran aground in the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

and was damaged beyond repair.Hiranandani, G. M. (2005). ''Transition to Eminence: The Indian Navy 1976–1990''. Lancer Publishers, p. 22. INS ''Godavari'' was eventually scrapped in 1979.

References

Publications

* *English, John (1987). The Hunts: a history of the design, development and careers of the 86 destroyers of this class built for the Royal and Allied Navies during World War II. England: World Ship Society. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Slazak (L26) Hunt-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Tyne 1941 ships World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom Hunt-class destroyers of the Polish Navy World War II destroyers of Poland Operation Overlord Maritime incidents in 1976