HMS Comet (1910)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Comet.

Comet
History
United Kingdom
Name	Comet
Namesake	Great January Comet of 1910
Builder	Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Govan
Laid down	1 February 1910
Launched	23 June 1910
Completed	June 1911
Fate	Sunk by torpedo, 6 August 1918
General characteristics
Class & type	Acorn-class destroyer
Displacement	772 long tons (784  t)
Length	246 ft (75 m)
Beam	25 ft 5 in (7.7 m)
Draught	8 ft 6 in (2.6 m)
Installed power	4 Yarrow boilers 13,500  shp (10,100  kW)
Propulsion	3 shafts; 1 steam turbine
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range	1,540  nmi (2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	72
Armament	2 × 4 in (102 mm) guns 2 × 12 pdr (3 in (76 mm) gun 2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

HMS Comet was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the 1910s. Completed in 1911 she saw active service in the First World War.

Design and description

The Acorn class marked a return to oil-firing as pioneered in the Tribal or F class of 1905 and HMS Swift of 1907. The Admiralty provided general specifications, but each shipyard did their own detailed design so that ships often varied in size. ^[1] The Acorns had an overall length of 246 feet (75 m), a beam of 25 feet 5 inches (7.7 m), and a deep draught of 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 m). The ships displaced 772 long tons (784  t ) at deep load and their crew numbered 72 officers and ratings. ^[2]

The destroyers were powered by a single Parsons steam turbine that drove three propeller shafts using steam provided by four Yarrow boilers. The engines developed a total of 13,500 shaft horsepower (10,100  kW ) and were designed for a speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). Comet reached a speed of 27.9 knots (51.7 km/h; 32.1 mph) from 13,726 shp (10,235 kW) during her sea trials. ^[3] The Acorns had a range of 1,540 nautical miles (2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). ^[2]

The primary armament of the ships consisted of a pair of BL 4-inch (102 mm) MK VIII guns in single, unprotected pivot mounts fore and aft of the superstructure. They were also armed with two single QF 12-pounder (3-inch (76 mm)) guns, one on each broadside between the forward and centre funnels. The destroyer were equipped with a pair of single rotating mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes amidships and carried two reload torpedoes. ^[4]

Construction and career

Comet, c. 1914–1918

Comet was ordered under the 1909–1910 Naval Programme from Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company. The ship was laid down at the company's Govan shipyard on 1 February 1910, launched on 23 June and commissioned in June 1911. She was torpedoed and sunk on 6 August 1918. ^[5]

References

1. Gardiner & Gray, p. 74
2. Friedman, p. 295
3. March, p. 109
4. Friedman, pp. 119, 295
5. Friedman, p. 306

Bibliography

• 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.
• 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.
• Jellicoe, John (1919). The Grand Fleet 1914–16: Its Creation, Development and Work. London: Cassell and Company. OCLC   859842281.

36°29′N15°45′E / 36.483°N 15.750°E / 36.483; 15.750