[2] At the turn of the 1920s and 1930s, the Naval Directorate (KMW) made efforts to acquire other destroyers after the Wicher and Burza.

On November 24, 1932, the head of the KMW Rear Admiral Jerzy Świrski obtained, after a personal conversation with Marshal Piłsudski, his oral consent to expand the existing fleet.

During this time, tactical and technical assumptions for the planned ships crystallized, including, among others, the use of 120 mm Bofors guns as their primary armament.

[9] Two days before the war, on 30 August 1939, Błyskawica withdrew, along with the destroyers Grom and Burza, from the Baltic Sea to Britain in accordance with the Peking Plan to avoid open conflict with Germany and possible destruction.

In early May 1940, Błyskawica took part in the Norwegian Campaign, shelling German positions and downing two Luftwaffe aircraft.

Later that month, she took part in covering Operation Dynamo, the successful British led evacuation from Dunkirk.

During the rest of the war, Błyskawica took part in convoy and patrol duties, engaging both U-boats and the Luftwaffe in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

On the night of 4–5 May 1942, Błyskawica helped to defend the Isle of Wight town of East Cowes from an air raid by 160 German bombers.

The ship was undergoing an emergency refit at the J. Samuel White yard where she had been built and, on the night of the raid, fired repeated rounds at the German bombers from outside the harbour; her guns became so hot they had to be doused with water from the River Medina to keep them from overheating.

The intervention of Błyskawica forced the bombers to stay high, making it difficult for them to target properly.

The ship also laid down a smokescreen hiding Cowes from sight, further compounding the difficulty the bomber crews faced in targeting it.

In 2002 the crew's courage was honoured by a local commemoration lasting several days to mark the 60th anniversary of the event.

[13] There were large celebrations commemorating the 70th anniversary of Cowes's defence in 2012 lasting several days and attended by Polish warship ORP Toruń.

In January 1944, the Błyskawica was assigned to the Anglo-Polish-Canadian 10th Destroyer Flotilla that battled the Kriegsmarine for the control of the English Channel.

In late 1945 and early 1946 Błyskawica, along with the destroyer Onslow, took part in Operation Deadlight, the scuttling of over 100 German U-boats.

[citation needed] Błyskawica underwent a second modernization in late 1957–1960 to address issues with her propulsion system as well as radio and electronic equipment and updated radar.

[19] In July 2006 the preserved Canadian destroyer HMCS Haida was "twinned" with Błyskawica in a ceremony in Gdynia, Poland.