HMS Bruce

Last updated

HMS Bruce (D81) between World Wars I and II.jpg
HMS Bruce
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameHMS Bruce
Namesake Robert the Bruce
OrderedApril 1916
Builder Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Laid down12 May 1917
Launched26 February 1918
Commissioned29 May 1918
FateSunk as target off the Isle of Wight, 22 November 1939
General characteristics
Class and type Admiralty type destroyer leader
Displacement1,801 long tons (1,830 t)
Length332 ft 6 in (101.35 m)
Beam31 ft 9 in (9.68 m)
Draught12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Installed power40,000  ihp (30,000 kW)
Propulsion
Speed36.5  kn (42.0 mph; 67.6 km/h)
Range5,000  nmi (5,800 mi; 9,300 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Complement164-183
Armament

HMS Bruce was the second of eight Admiralty type flotilla leaders of the Royal Navy. Built by Cammell Laird, Bruce was commissioned on 29 May 1918. During the First World War, she served with the 10th Destroyer Flotilla at Harwich. After the end of the war, Bruce spent several years in reserve at British ports, before spending almost 10 years based on the China Station. She was withdrawn from use because of her poor condition, and was sunk as a target ship on 22 November 1939.

Contents

Design and construction

In December 1916, the British Admiralty placed orders for two large flotilla leaders, Bruce and HMS Douglas from Cammell Laird as a follow on to the prototype of the class, Scott, which had been ordered in April that year. [1] [2] The Admiralty type, [3] or Scott-class, [1] were designed to meet a requirement from Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, commander of the Grand Fleet, for a large, fast and heavily armed leader to match and outclass rumoured large German destroyers. [4]

The ship was 320 feet 0 inches (97.54 m) long between perpendiculars and 332 feet 5 inches (101.32 m) overall, [5] with a beam of 31 feet 9 inches (9.68 m) and a draught of 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m). [1] Design displacement was 1,580 long tons (1,610 t) normal and 2,050 long tons (2,080 t) full load. [5] The ship's machinery consisted of four Yarrow boilers that fed steam at 250 pounds per square inch (1,700 kPa) to two sets of Parsons single-reduction geared-steam turbines, rated at 40,000 shaft horsepower (30,000 kW). [6] This gave a speed of 35 kn (40 mph; 65 km/h). Up to 500 tons of oil were carried, giving a radius of 3,390 nmi (3,900 mi; 6,280 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h). [5]

The class had a main gun armament consisted of five 4.7 in (120 mm)/45 calibre BL Mark I guns, [lower-alpha 1] on CP VI mountings capable of elevating to 30 degrees, [7] arranged in two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure, with the remaining gun positioned on a platform between the funnels. [1] Anti-aircraft armament consisted of a single 3 in (76 mm) gun on a platform abaft the rear funnel together with a pair of single two-pounder (40mm) pom-pom autocannon for close-in protection on single mounts. Torpedo armament consisted of two triple mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes between the 3-inch AA gun and the rear pair of 4.7-inch guns. [8] Crew was 183 [3] –188 [5] officers and men.

Bruce, named for Robert Bruce, [9] was laid down at Cammell Laird's Birkenhead shipyard on 12 May 1917, launched on 26 February 1918 and commissioned on 30 May 1918. [2] [10] [lower-alpha 2]

Service

After commissioning, Bruce underwent continued trials during May 1918, joining the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Harwich Force, as one of four leaders for this large flotilla on 5 June 1918. [2] [11] [lower-alpha 3] On 10 August 1918, Bruce took part in a sweep by the Harwich Force against German minesweeping forces in the southern part of the North Sea. The force, consisting of four light cruisers and fourteen destroyers and leaders, would tow six Coastal Motor Boats (CMBs) to the edge of the mined areas in the inner German Bight. From there, the CMBs would proceed over the minefields and search for German minesweepers, which they were to attack with torpedoes. Air cover was to be provided by flying boats carried on lighters towed behind three of the destroyers, while two more destroyers towed lighters carrying Sopwith Camel fighter aircraft, for use against German Zeppelin airships. When the force reached the minefields, the lack of wind meant that the flying boats could not take off, so the CMBs continued on unescorted, and were subject to sustained attacks by German aircraft, which resulted in three of the CMBs being sunk and the other three being interned in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the Harwich Force, waiting for the CMBs to return, encountered the German airship L53, and a Camel took off from a lighter towed behind the destroyer Redoubt and shot down L53. [12] [13]

HMS Bruce HMS Bruce (D81) IWM SP 001351.jpg
HMS Bruce

Bruce was still part of the 10th Flotilla at the end of the war, [14] and on 20 and 22 November, helped to escort German submarines that were surrendering under the terms of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 into Harwich. [2] The Grand Fleet was broken up after the end of the war, with new destroyer flotillas formed, [15] and by March 1919, Bruce was listed as leader of the newly established 7th Destroyer Flotilla, [16] [17] a reserve formation based at Rosyth. [18] By December 1919, Bruce was serving as leader and Captain (D)'s flagship for the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Atlantic Fleet, [19] and she remained part of the 4th Flotilla in January 1921. [20] On 5 October 1921, Bruce was involved in a minor collision with the destroyer Vendetta, [16] and by the end of the year was again laid-up in reserve at Rosyth with a reduced complement as part of the 9th Destroyer Flotilla. [21] From October 1922, Bruce was part of the 8th Destroyer Flotilla, but on 3 September 1924, returned to full active commission in the 1st Destroyer Flotilla as a temporary replacement for the leader Wallace, reducing back to a reduced (2/5) complement with the 8th Flotilla on 20 November that year. [16]

In January 1927, Bruce returned to active service as the 8th Flotilla was sent to the China Station, to be based at Hong Kong, [16] while operating from Weihaiwei and other northern ports during the summer. [22] [23] Bruce remained based in Chinese waters, both with the 8th Destroyer Flotilla and the 4th Submarine Flotilla, until January 1937. [16] [24] In October 1928, Bruce was reported to have rescued the passengers and crew of the coaster Kwangse, which had struck a submerged rock near Amoy. [25] On 14 October 1931, Bruce and the destroyer Wishart responded to the capture by pirates of the steamer Helicon. [16] [26] In October 1936, Bruce, together with the depot ship Medway, visited the port of Keelung on the island of Formosa (now Taiwan). This visit provoked a diplomatic incident between Japan and Great Britain when three of Bruce's sailors were arrested by Japanese police and accused of failing to pay a taxi fare. The three sailors were beaten by the police, with one man having his jaw broken, and were forced to sign a confession in order to get released. The incident, and the failure of the Japanese to apologise, resulted in the cancellation of a planned visit by Admiral Charles Little, Commander-in-Chief of the China Station, to Japan. [27] [28] [29]

Bruce returned to Britain via Singapore in early 1937, reaching Sheerness on 21 February that year, and going into reserve at the Nore on 21 April. In September 1937, she was moved to Portsmouth for a refit, but her poor condition resulted in the refit being abandoned, and Bruce being allocated for sale for scrap. The ship was stripped in preparation for sale by March 1939, but instead, she was assigned as a target, and was torpedoed and sunk during a test of magnetic detonators on 21 November 1939. [16]

Pennant numbers

Pennant number [30] FromTo
F48June 1918October 1919
D81November 19191938

Notes

  1. ↑ In British practice, BL (Breech Loading) indicated that a separate, bagged, charge was used.
  2. ↑ Preston states that Bruce was completed on 29 May 1918. [6]
  3. ↑ In addition to the four leaders, the flotilla comprised 24 destroyers. [11]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Preston 1985 , p. 83
  2. 1 2 3 4 English 2019 , p. 23
  3. 1 2 Manning 1961 , p. 130
  4. ↑ Friedman 2009 , pp. 166, 281, fn. 37
  5. 1 2 3 4 Friedman 2009 , p. 298
  6. 1 2 Preston 1971 , p. 101
  7. ↑ Preston 1971 , pp. 99, 101
  8. ↑ Friedman 2009 , pp. 166–167, 298
  9. ↑ Manning & Walker 1959 , p. 118
  10. ↑ Friedman 2009 , p. 314
  11. 1 2 "Supplement to the Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: III.–Harwich Force". The Navy List. June 1918. p. 13. Retrieved 14 February 2020– via National Library of Scotland.
  12. ↑ Newbolt 1931 , pp. 344–347
  13. ↑ Jones 1937 , pp. 367–375
  14. ↑ "Admiralty "Pink Lists", 11 November 1918". Ships of the Royal Navy – Location/Action Data, 1914-1918. Naval-history.net. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  15. ↑ Manning 1961 , p. 27
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 English 2019 , p. 24
  17. ↑ "Supplement to the Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: I.–The Grand Fleet: Destroyers". The Navy List. March 1919. p. 11. Retrieved 15 February 2020– via National Library of Scotland.
  18. ↑ "Supplement to the Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: IV.—Vessels in Reserve at Home Ports and Other Bases: Rosyth". The Navy List. May 1919. p. 18. Retrieved 15 February 2020– via National Library of Scotland.
  19. ↑ "I.—Atlantic Fleet: Destroyers". The Navy List. December 1919. pp. 702–3. Retrieved 15 February 2020– via National Library of Scotland.
  20. ↑ "I.—Atlantic Fleet: Destroyers". The Navy List. January 1921. pp. 702–3. Retrieved 15 February 2020– via National Library of Scotland.
  21. ↑ Preston 1971 , p. 36
  22. ↑ "China Squadron: Ships Returning to Hong Kong from North". The Singapore Free Press . 7 October 1929. p. 12. Retrieved 16 February 2020– via National Library Board, Singapore.
  23. ↑ "The China Station: Disposition of Units of the Fleet". Malaya Tribune. 24 September 1934. p. 18. Retrieved 16 February 2020– via National Library Board, Singapore.
  24. ↑ Watson, Graham (2 September 2015). "Between the Wars: Royal Navy Organisation and Ship Deployments 1919–1939". Naval-history.net. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  25. ↑ "Steamer Strikes Rock: Incident Off Chinese Coast". The Telegraph . Brisbane, Australia. 23 October 1928. p. 6. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  26. ↑ "Steamer Seized by Pirates". The Northern Times . Carnarvon, Western Australia. 19 October 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  27. ↑ Kennedy & Neilson 2002 , pp. 136–140
  28. ↑ "British Sailors Beaten, Is Claim". The Tribune. Manila. 3 November 1936. pp. 1, 4.
  29. ↑ "Commons' Sequel to Torture of British Sailors: Plea for Strong Action". The Singapore Free Press . 6 November 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 16 February 2020– via National Library Board, Singapore.
  30. ↑ English 2019 , p. 135

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Montrose</i> (D01) Scott class, Admiralty type flotilla leader

The first HMS Montrose was one of eight Admiralty-type destroyer leaders, sometimes known as the Scott class. They were named after figures from Scottish history; Montrose was named for the Graham Dukes of Montrose. She was built during the First World War, but was completed too late for service then. However, she had a long career in the inter-war years and saw extensive service during the Second World War.

HMS <i>Ithuriel</i> (1916) Marksman-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy

HMS Ithuriel was a Marksman-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. Originally to have been named Gabriel, the name was changed before her launch. The ship was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead, being launched on 8 March 1916 and entering service in August that year. Ithuriel served with the Grand Fleet during the First World War, leading both a destroyer flotilla and a submarine flotilla. She survived the war, before being sold for scrap on 8 November 1921.

HMS <i>Seafire</i> Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Seafire was an S-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. She saw service during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The ship was sold for scrap in 1936.

<i>Active</i>-class cruiser Class of British cruisers

The Active-class cruisers were a trio of scout cruisers built for the Royal Navy shortly before the First World War. They were initially assigned to the First Fleet and became destroyer flotilla leaders in 1914. Amphion and Fearless and their flotillas were assigned to the Harwich Force when the war began in August 1914. They went out on a patrol on the first day of the war and Amphion and her destroyers encountered and sank a German minelayer. On the voyage home, the cruiser struck a mine laid by the German ship and sank. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy to be sunk in the war.

HMS <i>Fearless</i> (1912) British Active-class scout cruiser

HMS Fearless was one of three Active-class scout cruisers built for the Royal Navy shortly before the First World War. Upon completion in 1913, the ship was assigned to the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron (LCS) of the 1st Fleet. She became flotilla leader of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla (DF) shortly before the start of the war in August 1914 and was transferred to the Harwich Force shortly after it began. Fearless participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight and the Cuxhaven Raid later that year. The ship was transferred to the Grand Fleet in early 1915 and played a minor role in the Battle of Jutland the following year.

HMS <i>Scott</i> (1917) Admiralty type flotilla leader

HMS Scott was the lead ship of her class of flotilla leaders for the V- and W-class destroyers built during the First World War, and the class would unofficially be named after her. Completed in 1918, the ship was assigned to the Harwich Force and was sunk by either a naval mine or by a German submarine in August while escorting a convoy. The ship herself was the first to bear the name Scott and was named after Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet.

HMS <i>Valkyrie</i> (1917) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Valkyrie was a First World War V-class flotilla leader of the Royal Navy. She was one of two destroyers ordered in July 1916 from William Denny & Bros. Ltd shipyard under the 9th Order for Destroyers of the Emergency War Program of 1916–17. She was originally to be called HMS Malcolm but was renamed before being completed. The name Malcolm was later assigned to another destroyer leader.

Chios was a Medea-class destroyer laid down for the Greek Navy by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan in 1914. She was launched as 16 December 1914 and completed for service in the Royal Navy as HMS Melampus on 29 June 1915. On 16 April 1917 she accidentally rammed and sank the C-class submarine C16. She was sold for breaking up on 22 September 1921.

HMS <i>Valentine</i> (L69) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS <i>Valorous</i> (L00) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

The fifth HMS Valorous, ex-HMS Montrose, was a V-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War I, the Russian Civil War, and World War II.

HMS <i>Douglas</i>

HMS Douglas was an Admiralty type flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. Built by Cammell Laird, Douglas commissioned in 1918, just before the end of the First World War. During the Second World War, Douglas served with Force H out of Gibraltar and as a convoy escort. She was sold for scrap in March 1945.

HMS <i>Mackay</i> (D70) Scott class, Admiralty type flotilla leader

HMS Mackay was an Admiralty type, sometimes known as the Scott class, flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. Mackay was built by Cammell Laird during the First World War, but was completed too late for service then, commissioning in 1919.

HMS <i>Campbell</i> (D60) Destroyer

HMS Campbell was an Admiralty type flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. Built by Cammell Laird, Douglas commissioned in December 1918, just after the end of the First World War. During the Second World War, Campbell mainly served with as a convoy escort, particularly on the East Coast of the United Kingdom. She survived the war, and was sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Gabriel was a Marksman-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy, that took part in the First World War. The ship was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead, being launched on 23 December 1915 and entering service in July 1916. Gabriel served with the Grand Fleet, leading a destroyer flotilla and was later used as a minelayer. She survived the war, before being sold for scrap on in May 1921.

HMS Grenville was a Parker-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird during the First World War, being launched on 17 June 1916 and completing on 11 October that year. Grenville served with the Grand Fleet for the rest of the war, which she survived. The ship took part in operations in the Baltic during the Russian Civil War in the winter of 1919–1920, before entering a long period of reserve. She was sold for scrap in December 1931.

HMS Parker was a Parker-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy, and the lead ship of her class. She was built by Cammell Laird during the First World War, being launched on 16 August 1916 and completing on 13 December that year. Parker served with the Grand Fleet for the rest of the war, which she survived. The ship was sold for scrap in November 1921.

HMS <i>Seymour</i> (1916) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Seymour was a Parker-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird during the First World War, being launched on 31 August 1916 and completing on 30 November that year. Seymour served with the Grand Fleet for the rest of the war, which she survived. The ship was sold for scrap in January 1931.

HMS Saumarez was a Parker-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird during the First World War, being launched on 14 October 1916 and completing on 21 December that year. Saumarez served with the Grand Fleet for the rest of the war, which she survived. The ship was sold for scrap in January 1931.

HMS <i>Shakespeare</i> (1917) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Shakespeare was a Thornycroft type flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by J I Thornycroft from 1916 to 1917 as the lead ship of her class, launching in July 1917 and completing in October 1917.

HMS Spenser was a Thornycroft type flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by J I Thornycroft from 1916 to 1917 as the lead ship of her class, launching in September 1917 and completing in December that year.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.