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HMS Rapid (1916)

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
HMCS Pariot MC-10024.jpg
HMS Patriot was an earlier Thornycroft M-class, seen here in 1922
History
United Kingdom
NameRapid
BuilderThornycroft, Woolston, Southampton
Yard number827
Laid down12 August 1915
Launched15 July 1916
Completed19 September 1916
Decommissioned20 April 1927
FateBroken up at Garston, Liverpool
General characteristics
Class and typeThornycroft M-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,033 long tons (1,050 t) (normal)
  • 1,208 long tons (1,227 t) (full load)
Length
  • 274 ft (83.5 m) (o.a.)
  • 265 ft (80.8 m) (p.p.)
Beam27 ft 6 in (8.4 m)
Draught10 ft (3.0 m)
Installed power3 Yarrow boilers, 26,500 shp (19,800 kW)
PropulsionBrown-Curtis steam turbines, 3 shafts
Speed35 kn (40 mph; 65 km/h)
Range3,450 nmi (6,390 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h)
Complement82
Electronic warfare
& decoys
For other ships with the same name, see HMS Rapid.

HMS Rapid was a destroyer of the M class that served with the Royal Navy during First World War. Launched by Thornycroft in 1916, the vessel was the one of two similar ships ordered as part of the Fifth War Construction Programme. They differed from the remainder of the M class in having more powerful engines. The design was used as the basis for the subsequent five ships of the R-class also built by the yard. Rapid served in escort and patrol roles, principally providing defence from submarines as part of the Grand Fleet until it was disbanded at the end of the War. After the end of hostilities, the vessel served in minor roles, including briefly as part of the Admiralty Compass Department in 1921 and 1924, but was sold to be scrapped in 1927.

Discover more about HMS Rapid (1916) related topics

Destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or battle group and defend them against powerful short-range attackers. They were originally developed in 1885 by Fernando Villaamil for the Spanish Navy as a defense against torpedo boats, and by the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, these "torpedo boat destroyers" (TBDs) were "large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats designed to destroy other torpedo boats". Although the term "destroyer" had been used interchangeably with "TBD" and "torpedo boat destroyer" by navies since 1892, the term "torpedo boat destroyer" had been generally shortened to simply "destroyer" by nearly all navies by the First World War.

Thornycroft M-class destroyer

Thornycroft M-class destroyer

The Thornycroft M or Mastiff class were a class of six British destroyers completed for the Royal Navy during 1914–16 for World War I service. They were quite different from the Admiralty-designed ships of the Admiralty M class, although based on a basic sketch layout provided by the British Admiralty from which J I Thornycroft developed their own design. Like the 'standard' Admiralty M class they had three funnels, but the centre funnel was thicker in the Thornycroft ships. The midships 4-inch (100 mm) gun was shipped between the second and third funnels. Patriot was fitted to carry a kite balloon.

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.

World War I

World War I

World War I or the First World War, often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. It was fought between two coalitions, the Allies and the Central Powers. Fighting occurred throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. An estimated 9 million soldiers were killed in combat, plus another 23 million wounded, while 5 million civilians died as a result of military action, hunger, and disease. Millions more died as a result of genocide, while the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was exacerbated by the movement of combatants during the war.

John I. Thornycroft & Company

John I. Thornycroft & Company

John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm founded by John Isaac Thornycroft in Chiswick in 1866. It moved to Woolston, Southampton, in 1908, merging in 1966 with Vosper & Company to form one organisation called Vosper Thornycroft. From 2002 to 2010 the company acquired several international and US based defence and services companies, and changed name to the VT Group. In 2008 VT's UK shipbuilding and support operations were merged with those of BAE Systems to create BVT Surface Fleet. In 2010 remaining parts of the company were absorbed by Babcock International who retained the UK and international operations, but sold the US based operations to the American Jordan Company, who took the name VT Group.

R-class destroyer (1916)

R-class destroyer (1916)

The first R class were a class of 62 destroyers built between 1916 and 1917 for the Royal Navy. They were an improvement, specifically in the area of fuel economy, of the earlier Admiralty M-class destroyers. The most important difference was that the Admiralty R class had two shafts and geared turbines, compared with the three shafts and direct turbines of the Admiralty M class, but in appearance the R class could be distinguished from its predecessors by having the after 4-inch gun mounted in a bandstand. The Admiralty ordered the first two of this class of ships in May 1915. Another seventeen were ordered in July 1915, a further eight in December 1915, and a final twenty-three in March 1916.

Grand Fleet

Grand Fleet

The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.

Admiralty Compass Observatory

Admiralty Compass Observatory

The Admiralty Compass Observatory, originally known as the Compass Branch (1842–1917) and later known as the Compass Department (1917–1968) and Compass Directorate (1968–1971) was established in 1842 to provide the Royal Navy with services for the design, development, inspection, testing and repair of compasses and certain other instruments. It subsequently undertook requirements for the other services as appropriate. In when it was absorbed within the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment., but it continued at its original site until the early 1980's

Design

Main article: Thornycroft M-class destroyer

Rapid was one of two M-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty from John I. Thornycroft & Company in May 1915 as part of the Fifth War Construction Programme. Rapid and Ready differed from the Admiralty design in having more powerful engines, which gave them a higher potential speed.[1] The speed increase was to combat a rumoured German design that was capable of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[2] Thornycroft had previously delivered four other M-class destroyers to the Admiralty to slightly different specifications, and together they are considered to be a single class.[3]

Rapid was 274 feet (83.5 m) long overall and 265 ft (80.8 m) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 27 ft 6 in (8.4 m) and a draught of 10 ft (3.0 m).[3] Displacement was 1,033 long tons (1,050 t) normal and 1,208 long tons (1,227 t) full load. Three Yarrow boilers fed steam to Brown-Curtis steam turbines rated at 26,500 shp (19,800 kW) which drove three shafts, giving a design speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph), although the ship reached 35.45 knots (65.65 km/h; 40.80 mph) during trials.[4][5] Three funnels were fitted, the centre one being wider than the others, a feature shared with the R-class destroyers designed by Thornycroft.[4] A total of 275 long tons (279 t) of fuel oil was carried, giving a design range of 1,620 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,860 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[6]

Armament consisted of three single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft and one between the second and third funnels.[3] Four 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes torpedoes were carried in two twin rotating mounts.[7] By 1920, the ship was equipped with a single QF 2-pounder 40 mm (2 in) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun.[8] The vessel had a complement of 82 officers and ratings.[3]

Discover more about Design related topics

John I. Thornycroft & Company

John I. Thornycroft & Company

John I. Thornycroft & Company Limited, usually known simply as Thornycroft was a British shipbuilding firm founded by John Isaac Thornycroft in Chiswick in 1866. It moved to Woolston, Southampton, in 1908, merging in 1966 with Vosper & Company to form one organisation called Vosper Thornycroft. From 2002 to 2010 the company acquired several international and US based defence and services companies, and changed name to the VT Group. In 2008 VT's UK shipbuilding and support operations were merged with those of BAE Systems to create BVT Surface Fleet. In 2010 remaining parts of the company were absorbed by Babcock International who retained the UK and international operations, but sold the US based operations to the American Jordan Company, who took the name VT Group.

HMS Ready (1916)

HMS Ready (1916)

HMS Ready was a destroyer of the M class that served with the Royal Navy during First World War. Launched by Thornycroft in 1916, the vessel was the one of two similar ships ordered as part of the Fifth War Construction Programme. They differed from the remainder of the M class in having more powerful engines. The design was used as the basis for the subsequent five ships of the R-class also built by the yard. Ready operated within the Grand Fleet until it was disbanded at the end of the war. The vessel was credited with helping to sink a German Q-ship in 1917. After the war, the destroyer was initially transferred to HMNB Portsmouth, but was retired and sold to be broken up in 1926 after almost a decade of service as part of a preparation for a fleet of new destroyers.

Length overall

Length overall

Length overall is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also used for calculating the cost of a marina berth.

Length between perpendiculars

Length between perpendiculars

Length between perpendiculars is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the sternpost, or main stern perpendicular member. When there is no sternpost, the centerline axis of the rudder stock is used as the aft end of the length between perpendiculars.

Beam (nautical)

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at its widest point. The maximum beam (BMAX) is the distance between planes passing through the outer extremities of the ship, beam of the hull (BH) only includes permanently fixed parts of the hull, and beam at waterline (BWL) is the maximum width where the hull intersects the surface of the water.

Displacement (ship)

Displacement (ship)

The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into weight. Traditionally, various measurement rules have been in use, giving various measures in long tons. Today, tonnes are more commonly used.

John Brown & Company

John Brown & Company

John Brown and Company of Clydebank was a Scottish marine engineering and shipbuilding firm. It built many notable and world-famous ships including RMS Lusitania, RMS Aquitania, HMS Hood, HMS Repulse, RMS Queen Mary, RMS Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Elizabeth 2.

Steam turbine

Steam turbine

A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbine involves advanced metalwork to form high-grade steel alloys into precision parts using technologies that first became available in the 20th century; continued advances in durability and efficiency of steam turbines remains central to the energy economics of the 21st century.

Funnel (ship)

Funnel (ship)

A funnel is the smokestack or chimney on a ship used to expel boiler steam and smoke or engine exhaust. They are also commonly referred to as stacks.

R-class destroyer (1916)

R-class destroyer (1916)

The first R class were a class of 62 destroyers built between 1916 and 1917 for the Royal Navy. They were an improvement, specifically in the area of fuel economy, of the earlier Admiralty M-class destroyers. The most important difference was that the Admiralty R class had two shafts and geared turbines, compared with the three shafts and direct turbines of the Admiralty M class, but in appearance the R class could be distinguished from its predecessors by having the after 4-inch gun mounted in a bandstand. The Admiralty ordered the first two of this class of ships in May 1915. Another seventeen were ordered in July 1915, a further eight in December 1915, and a final twenty-three in March 1916.

Fuel oil

Fuel oil

Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum. Such oils include distillates and residues. Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bunker fuel, furnace oil (FO), gas oil (gasoil), heating oils, diesel fuel and others.

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.

Service

Rapid was laid down on 12 August 1915 and launched on 15 July 1916.[9] Once completed on 19 September 1916, the ship joined the Grand Fleet, initially with the Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla.[1][10] Occasionally, the vessel operated alone. On 17 May 1917, the ship rescued the survivors from the British armed merchantman Middlesex, which had been sunk by the German submarine U-30 the previous day. In the process, Rapid was involved in a friendly fire incident when it mistook the British submarine E54, which was simultaneously approaching the lifeboats, for an enemy and subjected it to gunfire and a depth charge attack, albeit without sinking it.[11]

The flotilla was also employed collectively in larger operations, although these sorties were also not always as successful. For example, during an anti-submarine patrol in the North Sea as part of a convoy run from Lerwick between 15 and 24 June 1917, Rapid launched twelve attacks, none of which led to the destruction of any submarines.[12] The destroyer was also employed on escort duties and it was during one these operations in the North Sea during August 1917 that Rapid, along with the destroyer Tirade, unsuccessfully attacked a fleeing German submarine.[13] Rapid continued to serve with the Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla until the end of the war.[14]

When the Grand Fleet was disbanded, Rapid was kept on "miscellaneous service."[15][a] In 1921, the ship was seconded to the Compass Department of the Admiralty, which had responsibility for many of the scientific instruments used on board ships of the Navy.[17] The ship was then transferred to the Reserve Fleet at Portsmouth. During September 1924, the vessel was again seconded for compass trials, before again returning to reserve.[18] In the interim, however, the Navy decided to scrap many of the older destroyers, up to and including some of the M-class, in preparation for the introduction of newer and larger vessels.[19] Despite having little over a decade in service, Rapid was retired and sold to G Cohen for breaking up on 20 April 1927.[9]

Discover more about Service related topics

Keel laying

Keel laying

Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.

Ceremonial ship launching

Ceremonial ship launching

Ceremonial ship launching involves the performance of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back thousands of years, to accompany the physical process with ceremonies which have been observed as public celebration and a solemn blessing, usually but not always, in association with the launch itself.

Grand Fleet

Grand Fleet

The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.

15th Destroyer Flotilla

15th Destroyer Flotilla

The15th Destroyer Flotilla, or Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the British Royal Navy from August 1916 to March 1919 and again from September 1939 to May 1945.

SM U-30 (Germany)

SM U-30 (Germany)

SM U-30 was one of 329 U-boat submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She engaged in commerce warfare as part of the First Battle of the Atlantic. U-30 is significant for the torpedoing of the US tanker Gulflight on 1 May 1915 20 nautical miles west of Scilly.

HMS E54

HMS E54

HMS E54 was a British E class submarine built by William Beardmore, Dalmuir. She was laid down on 1 February 1915 and was commissioned in May 1916. She sank UC-10 on 21 August 1916 and U-81 on 1 May 1917. E54 was sold for scrap on 14 December 1921.

North Sea

North Sea

The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north. It is more than 970 kilometres (600 mi) long and 580 kilometres (360 mi) wide, covering 570,000 square kilometres (220,000 sq mi).

Lerwick

Lerwick

Lerwick is the main town and port of the Shetland archipelago, Scotland. Shetland's only burgh, Lerwick had a population of about 7,000 residents in 2010.

Admiralty Compass Observatory

Admiralty Compass Observatory

The Admiralty Compass Observatory, originally known as the Compass Branch (1842–1917) and later known as the Compass Department (1917–1968) and Compass Directorate (1968–1971) was established in 1842 to provide the Royal Navy with services for the design, development, inspection, testing and repair of compasses and certain other instruments. It subsequently undertook requirements for the other services as appropriate. In when it was absorbed within the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment., but it continued at its original site until the early 1980's

Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.

Pennant numbers

Pennant Number Date
G63 September 1915[20]
G78 January 1917[20]
G83 January 1918[20]
G46 November 1919[21]
H94 January 1922[22]

Source: "HMS Rapid (1916)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, October 26th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Rapid_(1916).

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Further Reading

HMS Rosalind (1916)

HMS Retriever (1917)

HMS Thisbe (1917)

HMS Tirade

HMS Radstock (1916)

HMS Ready (1916)

HMS Nereus (1916)

HMS Magic (1915)

HMS Medina (1916)

HMS Narwhal (1915)

HMS Maenad (1915)

HMS Mons (1915)

HMS Mameluke (1915)

HMS Orestes (1916)

HMS Northesk

HMS Octavia (1916)

HMS Opportune (1915)

HMS Oberon (1916)
Notes
  1. ^ Contemporary documents also list a HMS Rapid in Gibraltar but this was an older vessel.[16]
References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Friedman 2009, p. 308.
  2. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 132.
  3. ^ a b c d Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 110.
  4. ^ a b Preston 1985, p. 79.
  5. ^ McBride 1991, p. 46.
  6. ^ March 1966, p. 143.
  7. ^ Preston 1985, p. 80.
  8. ^ March 1966, p. 146.
  9. ^ a b Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 331.
  10. ^ "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet", The Navy List, p. 12, October 1916, retrieved 12 October 2018 – via National Library of Scotland
  11. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939, p. 30.
  12. ^ Newbolt 1931, pp. 54–56.
  13. ^ Williams 1997, p. 151.
  14. ^ "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. October 1918. Retrieved 12 October 2018 – via National Library of Scotland.
  15. ^ "Vessels on Miscellaneous Service". The Navy List: 710. January 1920. Retrieved 12 October 2018 – via National Library of Scotland.
  16. ^ Winfield & Lyon 2004, p. 293.
  17. ^ "Local Defence and Training Establishments, Patrol Flotillas, Etc", The Navy List, p. 704, January 1921, retrieved 12 October 2018 – via National Library of Scotland
  18. ^ "Naval And Military: Compass Trials". The Times. No. 43760. 18 September 1924. p. 7.
  19. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 180.
  20. ^ a b c Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 68.
  21. ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 64.
  22. ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 77.

Bibliography

  • Bush, Steve; Warlow, Ben (2021). Pendant Numbers of the Royal Navy: A Complete History of the Allocation of Pendant Numbers to Royal Navy Warships & Auxiliaries. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-526793-78-2.
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: A Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy From the 15th Century to the Present. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-93514-907-5.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
  • 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.
  • McBride, Keith (1991). "British 'M' Class Destroyers of 1913–14". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1991. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 34–49. ISBN 978-0-85177-582-1.
  • Monograph No. 35: Home Waters Part IX: 1st May 1917 to 31st July 1917. Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. IX. Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1939.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1931). Naval Operations: Vol. V. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. Retrieved 25 March 2020 – via Archive.org.
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969). Jane's Fighting Ships 1919. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. OCLC 907574860.
  • Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
  • Williams, M. W. (1997). "HMS Tirade and the sinking of UC-55". In Mclean, David; Preston, Antony (eds.). Warship 1997-1998. London: Conway Maritime. ISBN 0-85177-722-8.
  • Winfield, Rif; Lyon, David (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-032-9.
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