A-class destroyer (1913)

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HMS DARING (1893).jpg
HMS Daring, the lead ship of the "26-knotter" group
Class overview
BuildersVarious
OperatorsNaval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy
Preceded bynone
Succeeded by
Built1892–1895
In commission1893–1920
Completed42
Lost3
General characteristics
Type Destroyer
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

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.

Contents

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.

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]

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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 <i>Bruizer</i> (1895) Ardent-class destroyer

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HMS <i>Charger</i> (1894) Charger-class destroyer

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HMS Hasty was a Charger-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched by Yarrow Shipbuilders in 1894, served in home waters and was sold off in 1912.

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HMS Haughty was a Hardy-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched by William Doxford & Sons on 18 September 1895, served in home waters, and was sold on 10 April 1912.

The Salmon class were two destroyers built by Earle's to an Admiralty specification for service with the Royal Navy.

Two Swordfish-class destroyers served with the Royal Navy. Swordfish and Spitfire were both built by Armstrong Whitworth at Elswick, Tyne and Wear launching in 1895. Fitted with Yarrow boilers, they could make 27 knots and were armed with one twelve pounder and two torpedo tubes.

<i>Sunfish</i>-class destroyer Subclass of the A-class destroyers

The Sunfish-class destroyers, also referred to as Opossum-class destroyers, was a group of three torpedo boat destroyers which served with the Royal Navy from the 1890s to the 1920s. They were all built by the Hebburn-on-Tyne shipyard of Hawthorn Leslie.

HMS <i>Sunfish</i> (1895) Sunfish-class destroyer

HMS Sunfish was a "twenty-seven knotter" torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. Built by the Tyneside shipbuilder Hawthorn Leslie, Sunfish was one of three destroyers built by Hawthorns that year. She was sold for scrap in 1920.

References

  1. 1 2 Royal Navy's Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 34, p. 15
  2. ↑ Lyon, op.cit., p. 20.

Bibliography

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