An Grom – Bàta Chogaidh ‘Sgriosadair’, An Nèibhidh Pholanach

 

Seo an ‘Grom’, b’ e bàta chogaidh ‘sgriosadair’ no ‘destroyer’ bhon Nèibhidh Phòlainneach a bh’ ann agus chaidh e sìos le mo sheanair (Adam Kowalewski) air bhòrd ann an 1940.  Cha deach e a mharbhadh, ach chaill e mòran charaidean aige, agus chaidh e a ghortachadh.  Seo an sgeulachd air cùlaibh a’ bhàta chogaidh seo agus pìosan a tha mi fhìn agus mo theaghlach a’ cuimhneachadh mu dheidhinn na thuirt mo sheanair mus do chaochail e ann an 2001.

 

         An Grom (An Nèibhidh Pòlainneach)

 

‘Grom’ - a’ ciallachadh ‘tàirneanach’ anns a’ chànan Polanais

 

Mo Sheanair a’ cuimhneachadh an latha

 

Bha iad ann am fjord ann an Nirribhidh (Narvik) tron darna cogadh agus bha na Breatannaich agus na Pòlainnich a’ sabaid an aghaidh nan Gearmailteach nuair a bha am bàta aca anns a’ fiord.  Bha am fuaim uabhasach, gunnaichean a’ dèanamh sgrios air feadh na h-àite.  Bha mo sheanair na sheasamh ri taobh a’ charaid as fheàrr aige nuair a thàinig canon a-staigh.  Thàinig e a-staigh far an do sheas a charaid - dìreach mionaidean ro-làimh.  Chaidh a charaid a mharbhadh agus nuair a dhùisg mo sheanair bha e anns an uisge fhuar.  Bha am bàta a’ dol fodha agus bha ola mun chuairt air.  Bha na gunnaichean fhathast a’ dol, agus tòrr seòladairean air am marbhadh.

 

Bha mo sheanair fichead ’s a seachd bliadhna a dh’aois nuair a thòisich an dàrna cogadh.  Ged a rugadh e ann an Siberia, san Ruis, ’s e teaghlach Pòlainneach a bh’ annta, agus chaidh e a thogadh ann an Gdynia, faisg air Gdańsk air costa a tuath na Pòlainn. 

 

Bha mo sheanair an sàs air a’ chiad sabaid eadar bàta air taobh nan allies agus bàta-u Gearmailteach.  Thachair an sabaid deich mìle nas fhaide deas na Uibhist a Deas.  As deoghaidh dha na h-Eileanan Siar fhàgail, rinn iad airson Nirribhidh far an deach am bàta fodha.  Chaidh leth-cheud ’s a còignear fodha leis a’ bhàta ann an 1940. 

 

Thuirt mo sheanair gun robh a charaid air a mharbhadh agus gun do thuit esan anns an uisge.  Chunnaic e a charaidean a’ toirt soraidh leis tro na h-uinneagan fhad ‘s a chaidh iad fodha.  Cha tuirt mo sheanair mu dheidhinn sin gus leth-cheud bliadhna as a dheoghaidh.

 

Eachdraidh a’ bhàta chogaidh ‘Grom’

 

As deoghaidh dha dà bhàta clas Wicher  a thogail, bha an KMW a’ sireadh pròiseact eile airson dà bhàta sgriosadair (destroyers).  Chaidh a’ chiad reic san Dàmhair ann an 1933, ach cha do chum taobh nam Fraingeach ris na bha na Pòlainnich ag iarraidh.  Chaidh darna reic a thaisbeanadh anns a’ Chèitean 1934, ach an turas seo airson gàradh (yard) Suanais.  Ged a bha tòrr pròiseactan inntinneach a’ tachairt, cha robh iad freagarrach airson an KMW, agus mu dheireadh thall, chaidh an òrdugh a-staigh gu John Samuel White, Sasannach bho Cowes.

 

Aig an àm a chaidh an dà bhàta sgriosadair seo an togail, b’ e an fheadhainn as motha anns a’ chuan Bhaltach.  Chaidh an taghadh aontachadh ann an 1939 gun dèanadh iad dà bhàta den t-seòrsa ‘Grom’. 

 

Chaidh Grom a chur anns a’ mhuir air an fhicheadamh latha den Iuchair 1936 mar ORP Grom.  Bha e fo smachd Cpt. Stanislaw Hryniewiecki.  As deoghaidh tuilleadh deuchainnean, ràinig an Grom Gydnia air an t-siathamh latha deug den Chèitean 1937.  Ghabh e pàirt anns an taisbeanadh mara airson a’ chiad turas air an naodhamh latha air fhichead den Ògmhios ann an 1937.  San Lùnastal den aon bhliadhna ud, sheòl e còmhla ris an dà bhàta eile, Burza agus Wicher gu Tallinn agus Riga.  Air an darna latha air fhichead den Lùnastal 1938, chaidh Grom le a piuthar, Błyskawica gu Copenhagen airson tadhal air Nèibhidh na h-Òlaind.  Air an ochdamh latha air fhichead den Ghearran 1939, chaidh e gu tìr far an do chaill e dà bhithis (screws).  Chaidh Commander ùr a stèidheachadh anns an Ògmhios 1939, Cpt. Aleksander Hulewicz.

 

Air an deicheamh latha air fhichead den Lùnastal 1939, chaidh Grom, Błyskawica agus Burza bho Gdynia gu Leith fo “Operation Peking”.  Chunnaic na bàtaichean-u na bàtaichean sgriosadair seo dà thuras fhad ’s a sheòl iad airson Sasainn.  Ràinig iad Sasainn air a’ chiad latha den t-Sultain 1939.  Chaidh iad an gluasad gu Rosyth dà latha as a dheoghaidh, far an d’fhuair e àireamh H-71.  Air an t-seachdamh latha den t-Sultain, rinn an trì bàta sgriosadair seo (Grom, Błyskawica agus Burza) sabaid an aghaidh bàta-u (U-27) deich mìle bho Uibhist a Deas aig leth uair as deoghaidh a dhà san fheasgair.  Rinn am bàta-u ‘counter-attack’ orra, ach cha robh iad soirbheachail.  Chaidh Grom agus Błyskawica an uairsin gu Pembroke far an do rinn iad sabaid eile air bàta-u agus an uairsin, san t-Sultain chaidh Grom dhan Chaolas Shasannach airson a dhìonadh.  Air an ochdamh latha air fhichead den Dàmhair, rinn Grom agus Błyskawica sabaid eile air bàta-u, ach cha robh iad soirbheachail.  Chaidh Grom gu Harwich as deoghaidh sin, far an robh e a’ cumail sùil air a’ Chuan a Tuath.  Chaidh e gu Chatham airson beagan càrachadh san Faoilteach 1940, agus sheòl e còmhla ris a’ bhàta Shasannach “Suffolk” as deoghaidh dha a’ sabaid leis a’ Luftwaffe. 

 

Air an darna latha air fhichead den Ghiblean 1940, sheòl Grom gu Nirribhidh, far an robh e ag obair ann an Narvík.  Bha e a’ bombadh àiteachan Gearmailteach ann an Rombaken Fjord, far an robh iad a’ gluasad meatail Suanais bho Ulea gu Narvík air trèana.  Chaidh Grom a bhualadh air an treasamh latha den Chèitean, ach chuir e às dhà trì àiteachan Gearmailteach.  An ath latha aig ochd uairean ’s a’ mhadainn, thàinig dà bhomadairean Gearmailteach He-111 agus fear eile as an deoghaidh.  Leig am bomadair mu dheireadh sia bombaichean agus bhuail dà dhiubh.  Chaidh Grom fodha le 55 air am marbhadh.

 

The Grom class destroyers
Technical data

    Name

    Thunderbolt

    Builder

    Samuel White, Cowes;
     laid down 17.VII.1935,
     launched 20.VII.1936,
     completed 11.V.1937

    Displacement

    2010 t, 2144 t full load

    Dimensions

    114 x 11.26 x 3.45 m

    Machinery

    2-shaft geared turbines, 54 000 shp = 39 (42) kts;
     range 3500 nm/15 kts;
     Oil 350 t

    Armament

    7 x 120 mm (1xI,3xII), 4 x 40 mm (2xII), 8 MG (4xII),
     6 torpedo tubes (2 x III; 550 mm)

     from 1940: 7 x 120 mm (1xI,3xII), 1 x 102 mm,
     4 x 40 mm (2xII), 8 MG (4xII),
     6 torpedo tubes (2 x III; 550 mm)

    Armour

    none

    Complement

    192 (12 + 180)

 

 

History of Narvík

Narvik is a Northern Norwegian town with a population of 19.000. It is located at the head of Vestfjorden/Ofotfjorden, close to the Swedish border.  Narvik celebrates it’s centenary in 2002. It was founded when the Swedish iron-ore company LKAB was looking for a transhipment harbour for the iron-ore excavated in Kiruna’s mines. A railway was built from Kiruna to Narvik to carry the iron-ore to an ice-free harbour. The early name of the town was Victoriahamn, but was later changed to Narvik which was the name of a local bay.  The first ever iron-ore ship to dock in Narvik was the SS “Uppland”. It loaded approx. 3000 tons of iron-ore in January 1903. Today 13-14 million tons of iron-ore is shipped out from Narvik annually. The average size of these ships is 80 000 to 100 000 dwt.  The port is also equipped with a deep water quay, a 40-ton gantry container crane and on-dock rail. A container route over Narvik, combining sea and rail, was recently established. The annual throughput averages approx. 3000 container.  Narvik is also known for the battles that took place here during World War II. German forces invaded Narvik on the 9th April 1940. Narvik was important to the Germans because of the iron-ore which they used in the weapon industry. In the days following April 9th British Naval ships sailed into the fjord and fierce sea battles were carried out in the harbour and in nearby fjords. This resulted in 40 vessels being sunk both in the port basin and in the fjords. Among them were 2 Norwegian armoured cruisers, 2 British and 10 German destroyers, giving a serious blow to Hitler’s Naval force.  On May 28th 1940 the Allied Forces (Norwegians, British, French and Polish) forced the Germans out of Narvik, driving them, with their backs against the wall, up the mountains towards the Swedish border. This is known as the first Allied victory over Nazi-Germany during World War II.  Unfortunately, events in France in May 1940 caused the Allied Headquarters to withdraw their troops from Narvik, giving the Germans space to re-enter and this time occupy Narvik. Narvik remained occupied till the end of the war.

 

 

Narvík - Rombaken Fjord

 

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