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A-class destroyer (1913)

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
HMS DARING (1893).jpg
HMS Daring, the lead ship of the "26-knotter" group
Class overview
BuildersVarious
Operators Royal Navy
Built1892–1895
In commission1893–1920
Completed42
Lost3
General characteristics
TypeDestroyer
DisplacementFrom 185–340 long tons (188–345 t)
Length200–210 ft (61–64 m)
Propulsion
Speed26 kn (48 km/h) or 27 kn (50 km/h)
Complement46 to 53
Armament
For the 1927 programme's A class, see A-class destroyer.

The A class as designated in 1913 was a heterogeneous group of torpedo boat destroyers (TBDs) built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1890s. Some 42 vessels were constructed to the individual designs of their builders to meet Admiralty specifications, the only uniting feature being a specified top speed of 27 knots (50 km/h). In fact the initial six vessels were generally differentiated by a slightly lower speed and were often referred to as "26-knotters" to distinguish them from the following batch of thirty-six vessels; all fifteen surviving "27-knotter" vessels were classified by the Admiralty as the A class in 1913 to provide some system to the naming of HM destroyers. All of the "26-knotters" and most of the "27-knotters" had been lost or scrapped before the 1913 classification (and so - strictly speaking - never survived to become 'A' class), but for convenience all 42 ships are listed below. The number of funnels varied from one to four. All vessels had a distinctive "turtleback" forecastle that was intended to clear water from the bow, but actually tended to dig the bow in to anything of a sea, resulting in a very wet conning position.

They generally displaced around 260 tons and had a length of around 200 feet (61 m). All were powered by triple expansion steam engines and had coal-fired water-tube boilers (although initially, some had "locomotive type" fire-tube boilers in lieu). Armament was generally one QF 12 pounder on a bandstand on the forecastle, up to five QF 6 pounder and 2 single tubes for 18-inch (457 mm) torpedoes.[1] The six 1892-93 Programme ships initially had a third tube in the bow, fixed to fire straight ahead, but this was found to weigh down the bows and it was possible for the ship to run over its own torpedo when moving at high speed, so these were later removed and this feature was not repeated in later vessels.

Discover more about A-class destroyer (1913) related topics

Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service.

Naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy

Naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy

In the Royal Navy there have been a variety of naming conventions for destroyers.

Forecastle

Forecastle

The forecastle is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase "before the mast" which denotes anything related to ordinary sailors, as opposed to a ship's officers.

Steam engine

Steam engine

A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be transformed, by a connecting rod and crank, into rotational force for work. The term "steam engine" is generally applied only to reciprocating engines as just described, not to the steam turbine. Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separated from the combustion products. The ideal thermodynamic cycle used to analyze this process is called the Rankine cycle. In general usage, the term steam engine can refer to either complete steam plants, such as railway steam locomotives and portable engines, or may refer to the piston or turbine machinery alone, as in the beam engine and stationary steam engine.

Coal

Coal

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is a type of fossil fuel, formed when dead plant matter decays into peat and is converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years. Vast deposits of coal originate in former wetlands called coal forests that covered much of the Earth's tropical land areas during the late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) and Permian times. Many significant coal deposits are younger than this and originate from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.

Water-tube boiler

Water-tube boiler

A high pressure watertube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-generating tubes. In smaller boilers, additional generating tubes are separate in the furnace, while larger utility boilers rely on the water-filled tubes that make up the walls of the furnace to generate steam.

Fire-tube boiler

Fire-tube boiler

A fire-tube boiler is a type of boiler in which hot gases pass from a fire through one or more tubes running through a sealed container of water. The heat of the gases is transferred through the walls of the tubes by thermal conduction, heating the water and ultimately creating steam.

Torpedo

Torpedo

A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such a device was called an automotive, automobile, locomotive, or fish torpedo; colloquially a fish. The term torpedo originally applied to a variety of devices, most of which would today be called mines. From about 1900, torpedo has been used strictly to designate a self-propelled underwater explosive device.

Ships

The 26-knotter group

Six ships were ordered under the 1892-93 programme:

The 27-knotter group

Initially six torpedo boat destroyers (the Thornycroft and Yarrow vessels below) were ordered under the 1893-94 Programme, but a series of follow-up orders raised the programme to thirty-six vessels. The initial Estimates contained a sum of about £651,000 for payments on fourteen vessels, but the postponement of the First Class cruiser programme for that year allowed twenty-five destroyers to be ordered in that year, with the balance of eleven vessels funded under the 1894-95 Estimates (but still under the 1893-94 Programme).[2]

  • Ardent-class destroyer; all built by John I. Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick.
    • Ardent, launched 16 October 1894, sold for breaking up 10 October 1911.
    • Boxer, launched 28 November 1894, lost in collision with SS St Patrick in the Channel 8 February 1918.
    • Bruizer, launched 27 February 1895, sold for breaking up 26 May 1914.
  • Charger-class destroyer; all built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Poplar.
    • Charger, launched 15 September 1894, sold for breaking up 14 May 1912.
    • Dasher, launched 28 November 1894, sold for breaking up 14 May 1912.
    • Hasty, launched 16 June 1894, sold for breaking up 9 July 1912.
  • Banshee-class destroyer; all built by Laird Brothers, Birkenhead
    • Banshee, launched 17 November 1894, sold for breaking up 10 April 1912.
    • Contest, launched 1 December 1894, sold for breaking up 11 July 1911.
    • Dragon, launched 15 December 1894, sold for breaking up 9 July 1912.
  • Conflict-class destroyer; all built by J. Samuel White, Cowes
    • Conflict, launched 13 December 1894, sold for breaking up 20 May 1920.
    • Teazer, launched 9 February 1895, sold for breaking up 9 July 1912.
    • Wizard, launched 27 February 1895, sold for breaking up 20 May 1920.
  • Fervent-class destroyer; both built by Hanna, Donald & Wilson, Paisley.
    • Fervent, launched 20 March 1895, sold for breaking up 20 May 1920.
    • Zephyr, launched 10 May 1895, sold for breaking up 20 May 1920.
  • Handy-class destroyer; all built by Fairfields, Govan
    • Handy, launched 9 March 1895, sold for breaking up 1916 at Hong Kong.
    • Hart, launched 27 March 1895, sold for breaking up 1912 at Hong Kong.
    • Hunter, launched 28 December 1895, sold for breaking up 10 April 1912.
  • Hardy-class destroyer; both built by William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland.
    • Hardy, launched 16 December 1895, sold for breaking up 11 July 1911.
    • Haughty, launched 18 September 1895, sold for breaking up 10 April 1912.
  • Janus-class destroyer; all built by Palmers, Jarrow.
    • Janus, launched 12 March 1895, sold for breaking up 1914 at Hong Kong.
    • Lightning, launched 10 April 1895, sunk, probably by mine, 30 June 1915.
    • Porcupine, launched 19 September 1895, sold for breaking up 29 April 1920.
  • Sunfish-class destroyer; all built by Hawthorn, Newcastle upon Tyne.
    • Sunfish, launched 9 August 1895, sold for breaking up 7 June 1920.
    • Opposum, launched 4 October 1895, sold for breaking up 29 July 1920.
    • Ranger, launched 28 May 1895, sold for breaking up 20 July 1920.
  • Rocket-class destroyer; all built by J & G Thomson (later to become John Brown and Company), Clydebank.
    • Rocket, launched 14 August 1894, sold for breaking up 10 April 1912.
    • Shark, launched 22 September 1894, sold for breaking up 11 July 1911.
    • Surly, launched 10 November 1894, sold for breaking up 23 March 1920.
  • Salmon-class destroyer; both built by Earle's, Kingston upon Hull.
    • Salmon, launched 15 January 1895, sold for breaking up 14 May 1912.
    • Snapper, launched 30 January 1895, sold for breaking up 14 May 1912.
  • Sturgeon-class destroyer; all built by Naval Construction and Armament Company (later to become Vickers and eventually Vickers-Armstrongs), Barrow in Furness.
    • Sturgeon, launched 21 July 1894, sold for breaking up 14 May 1912.
    • Starfish, launched 26 January 1895, sold for breaking up 15 May 1912.
    • Skate, launched 13 March 1895, sold for breaking up 9 April 1907.
  • Swordfish-class destroyer; both built by Armstrong Mitchell and Company (later part of Vickers-Armstrongs), Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne
    • Swordfish, launched 7 June 1895, sold for breaking up 11 October 1910.
    • Spitfire, launched 27 February 1895, sold for breaking up 10 April 1912.
  • Zebra class; built by Thames Iron Works, Bow Creek
    • Zebra, launched 13 December 1895, sold for breaking up 30 July 1914.

Discover more about Ships related topics

Daring-class destroyer (1893)

Daring-class destroyer (1893)

Two Daring-class destroyers were the very first torpedo boat destroyers ("TBDs") to be ordered for the Royal Navy, the order being placed on 27 June 1892.

Chiswick

Chiswick

Chiswick is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Fuller's Brewery, London's largest and oldest brewery. In a meander of the River Thames used for competitive and recreational rowing, with several rowing clubs on the river bank, the finishing post for the Boat Race is just downstream of Chiswick Bridge.

HMS Daring (1893)

HMS Daring (1893)

HMS Daring and HMS Decoy together made up the Daring class of torpedo boat destroyers which served with the Royal Navy during the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. On trial she made headlines as the 'Fastest Boat Ever'. The introduction of steam turbines after 1897 quickly made her and her sisters obsolete and she was sold off in 1912.

HMS Decoy (1894)

HMS Decoy (1894)

HMS Decoy was a Daring-class torpedo boat destroyer which served with the Royal Navy in home waters. She was launched in 1895 and sunk in a collision with the destroyer HMS Arun in 1904.

Ferret-class destroyer

Ferret-class destroyer

Two Ferret-class destroyers served with the Royal Navy. Ferret and Lynx were built by Laird, displaced 280 tons and were 199 feet (61 m) in overall length.

Birkenhead

Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 88,818.

HMS Ferret (1893)

HMS Ferret (1893)

HMS Ferret was a Ferret-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy from 1893 and was sunk in 1911.

Ardent-class destroyer

Ardent-class destroyer

The three Ardent-class torpedo boat destroyers were ordered by the British Admiralty on 12 October 1893 and served with the Royal Navy. Built by Thornycroft for a contract price of £110,520 for all three vessels, they displaced 301 tons fully laden, and were 201 feet 8 inches (61.47 m) long overall.

HMS Ardent (1894)

HMS Ardent (1894)

HMS Ardent was a Royal Navy 27 knot torpedo boat destroyer ordered from John I Thornycroft & Company under the 1893 – 1894 Naval Estimates. She was the sixth ship to carry this name.

HMS Boxer (1894)

HMS Boxer (1894)

HMS Boxer was an Ardent-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy, launched on 28 November 1894. She spent several years operating with the Mediterranean Fleet and remained active during the First World War. She was sunk in a collision on 8 February 1918.

HMS Bruizer (1895)

HMS Bruizer (1895)

HMS Bruizer was an Ardent-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched on 27 February 1895 by John Thornycroft at Chiswick, and was sold on 26 May 1914.

Charger-class destroyer

Charger-class destroyer

The three Charger-class destroyers were all ordered by the British Admiralty on 12 October 1893 and on completion in early 1896 they served with the Royal Navy until 1911.

Source: "A-class destroyer (1913)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2021, September 30th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-class_destroyer_(1913).

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Further Reading

List of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy

V and W-class destroyer

Havock-class destroyer

River-class destroyer

D-class destroyer (1913)

B-class destroyer (1913)

R-class destroyer (1916)

HMS Hornet (1893)

HMS Ardent (1894)

HMS Bruizer (1895)

Charger-class destroyer

HMS Charger (1894)

HMS Dasher (1894)

Sunfish-class destroyer

Cricket-class destroyer

List of torpedo boat classes of the Royal Navy

HMS Sunfish (1895)
References
  1. ^ a b Royal Navy's Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 34, p. 15
  2. ^ Lyon, op.cit., p.20.
Bibliography
  • Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
  • Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
  • Lyon, David (2001) [1996]. The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-3648.
  • Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co. OCLC 6470051.
  • March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
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