Wojciech Roman Francki, ORP
| Born | 17 Apr 1903 | Warchau, Poland | |
| Died | 6 Jul 1996 | (93) | Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia |
| Ranks
Decorations |
Warship Commands listed for Wojciech Roman Francki, ORP
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| ORP Burza (H 73) | Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) | Destroyer | 16 Feb 1940 | 7 Oct 1940 |
| ORP Blyskawica (H 34) | Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) | Destroyer | 5 Jun 1940 | 16 Jul 1940 |
| ORP Blyskawica (H 34) | Kmdr.ppor. (Cdr.) | Destroyer | 28 Sep 1940 | 20 Mar 1942 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Destroyer ORP Burza (H 73)
22 Mar 1940
The Polish destroyers Burza (under her new commander Komandor Podporucznik Wojciech Francki) and Blyskawica escorted three French submarines and their tender Jules Verne on their route from Brest to Harwich.
12 Apr 1940
The Polish destroyers Burza, Grom and Blyskawica entered Rosyth for refuelling. Then they were sent to Scapa Flow. (1)
19 Apr 1940
The Polish destroyers Burza, Grom and Blyskawica left Scapa Flow and head to Narvik.
During a storm Burza was damaged by high waves and forced to return. (1)
30 Apr 1940
In dense fog the British tanker Boardale (8400 GRT) hit the rocks in the Asan Fjord near Narvik and was abandoned by the crew. The Polish destroyer Burza rescued the survivors. (1)
1 May 1940
The Polish destroyer Burza reached Harstad and took part in the AA defence of this harbour. (1)
5 May 1940
The Polish destroyer Burza provided AA cover for Allied merchants off Skaaland, Norway. 11 German air raids were conducted. Few ships were slightly damaged. (1)
7 May 1940
The Polish destroyer Burza conducted a reconnaissance patrol in Bjerkvik area. At this time commander of Allied 1st Light Rifle Division, General Marie Emile Bethouart was onboard with his staff. Bjerkvik was the port where Allied troops were planned to be unloaded. (1)
8 May 1940
Six strong German air attacks took place on Harstad. Burza was involved in the AA
defence. Two bombs exploded near the destroyer but caused no damage.
Later that day Burza found and rescued the crew of British airplane which had been shot down. (1)
10 May 1940
The Polish destroyers Burza and Blyskawica left Norwegian waters in order to return to Scapa Flow. (1)
24 May 1940
The Polish destroyer Burza was ordered to join the British destroyers HMS Vimiera and HMS Wessex and shell German positions in Calais area. At 16.20 the Allied vessels opened fire on enemy armoured column at Sangatte Hill, west of Calais.
10 minutes later they were attacked by 27 German airplanes which hit and sank HMS Wessex. HMS Vimiera managed to escape. Then the entire enemy air group concentrated on the Polish destroyer. The AA guns (2 40 mm) jammed due to shrapnel hits, three bombs exploded in the water. They caused boiler damage and loss of speed. The commander (Komandor Podporucznik Wojciech Francki) ordered to emergency launch the torpedoed and drop all depth charges, trying to avoid additional explosions. Shortly after this, two bombs hit the Burza and badly damaged her. However the airplanes had dropped all of their bombs and broke off the attack. The crew managed to stop the leakage and return to Dover. One German airplane was shot down during the action.
Destroyer ORP Blyskawica (H 34)
9 Jun 1940
Blyskawica left Harwich and steamed to Cowes for repairs and refitting. (1)
Destroyer ORP Burza (H 73)
6 Aug 1940
"Burza" (Kapitan Marynarki Doroszkowski) left Portsmouth. She was ordered to steam to Scapa Flow. During the cruise, she received radio report about U-boat operating nearby. British airplane marked the area with smoke buoys. "Burza" started searching for enemy. After two hours, she detected an U-boat and attacked with depth charges. Crew observed oil stains on the surface. Admiralty claimed this U-boat as "probably badly damaged".
30 Aug 1940
The Polish destroyers Blyskawica and Burza joined the escort of a convoy heading to the USA. Later Burza suffered a malfunction and was forced to return to base. (1)
Destroyer ORP Blyskawica (H 34)
29 Sep 1940
The 5th Destroyer Flotilla (including Blyskawica) was on patrol in English Channel. At night, HMS Broke and the Polish destroyer were sent against group of German motor torpedo boats. However, the Germans found their target first. They approached and fired several torpedoes. The Allied crews managed to spot the torpedoes and avoided them. The destroyers fired star shells, but spotted only one of the attackers retreating at high speed. After few salvos, contact was lost. (1)
20 Oct 1940
After a suspicious surface vessel was reported off Bolt Head the destroyer HMS Jaguar (Lt.Cdr. J.F.W. Hine, RN) departed Plymouth at 1250 hours followed at 1315 hours by the destroyers HMS Kashmir (Cdr. H.A. King, RN) and Blyskawica (Lt.Cdr. W. Franki).
At 1510 hours HMS Kashmir signalled that there was nothing to report and the destroyers returned to Plymouth. (2)
26 Oct 1940
Blyskawica collided with a freighter. There were no casualties, but the destroyer had to be repaired. (1)
4 Dec 1940
Shortly after the end of the repairs, Blyskawica was ordered to join the escort of convoy heading to the USA. During a very strong storm the destroyer suffered serious damage. The rudder jammed 20 degrees to portside. A group of sailors managed to unblock it and steer the ship using the manual steering system. Also Depth charges were smashed into the water by the pounding waves. A torpedo mount was damaged and rotated without control. Later, the rudder jammed again, however only 2 degrees to portside, so they were able to steer with the ships propellers. Blyskawica returned to Greenock on 6 December 1940. (1)
11 Feb 1941
Blyskawica escorted a convoy to Iceland. But on the 14th she was again damaged in a storm and she had to return to Greenock (1)
13 Mar 1941
While in dock Blyskawica took part in the Anti-Aircraft defence of Glasgow. (1)
2 Dec 1941
After a long repair and rearming period, ORP Blyskawica (Komandor Podporucznik Wojciech Francki) came to Scapa Flow for training.
20 Dec 1941
With her refresher training completed Blyskawica arrived in Greenock fully combat ready. (1)
30 Dec 1941
Blyskawica arrived at Reykjavik, Iceland. (1)
Sources
- Personal communication
- ADM 199/372
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.
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