Construction and design
HMS Cossack was one of five Tribal-class destroyers ordered as part of the 1905–06 shipbuilding programme. [2] While the Admiralty laid down the basic requirements of an oil-fuelled, steam turbine-powered ship with a speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph), a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at cruising speed and an endurance of eight hours at full speed, the details of the design of individual ships was left to the builders, which meant that individual ships of the class differed significantly from each other. Cammell Laird's design was powered by steam turbines rated at 14,000 shaft horsepower (10,000 kW) fed by five boilers to drive three propeller shafts, and had three large funnels. Armament was the specified three 12 pounder (3 inch, 76 mm) 12 cwt guns [a] , two side by side on the ship's forecastle and one aft, with two 18 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes. [3] [4] [5]
Cossack was laid down on 13 November 1905 and launched on 16 February 1907. [6] After successfully undergoing trials [7] where she reached a speed of 34.619 knots (64.114 km/h; 39.839 mph), [2] Cossack was commissioned in April 1908. [6]
Service
Shortly after Cossack entered service, it was decided to strengthen the armament of the first batch of Tribals by adding another two 12 pounder guns, this being done in 1909. [4] [8] Cossack was considered by her Captain to be a poorer sea boat than River-class destroyers, [b] but a better gun platform. [8]
In 1909, following a re-organisation of the Royal Navy's Home and Atlantic Fleets, Cossack was part of the First Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet. [10] 1910, Cossack remained part of the First Flotilla in 1910. [11] By 1913, she had joined the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, [11] based at Portsmouth. [12] In October that year, the Tribals were officially designated the F class, and as such the letter "F" was painted on Cossack's bows. [4] [5] While still a part of the 4th Flotilla in January 1914, [13] but by February had transferred to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla. [14]
During the First World War she served in the North Sea and the English Channel with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla.
On 23 August 1914, Cossack was involved in a collision with her sister Tribal-class destroyer, Ghurka. [15] In October 1914, Cossack was one of a number of warships of the Dover Patrol that were deployed to help support Belgian ground forces during the Battle of the Yser, with all available ships being used to carry out shore bombardment operations. At one stage, on 20 October 1914, after the destroyer Amazon was damaged by German shellfire, Rear Admiral Horace Hood transferred his flag to Cossack. [16] [17]
On the night of 26/27 October 1916, German torpedo boats of their Flanders Flotilla carried out a large scale raid into the English Channel, hoping to attack the drifters watching the anti-submarine nets of the Dover Barrage, and to sink Allied shipping in the Channel. Cossack was one of six Tribal-class destroyers waiting at readiness in Dover harbour, and when the Germans attacked the drifters and sank the supporting destroyer HMS Flirt, they were ordered to intervene. The six destroyers became separated, and while several of them encountered groups of the German torpedo boats on their return leg, with HMS Nubian being badly damaged by a German torpedo and Amazon and Mohawk sustaining lesser damage from German gunfire, Cossack did not engage the German ships. [18]
On 1 July 1917, Cossack collided with the transport SS The Duchess near Eastbourne. Cossack's depth charges exploded as a result of the collision, sinking The Duchess and blowing off Cossack's stern. [9] [19] [20] Cossack was towed to Dover for repair. [21]
On 16 September 1918, a fire started in one of the magazines of the newly delivered monitor HMS Glatton. In order to prevent an explosion that could affect a nearby ammunition ship, it was decided to sink Glatton. Cossack fired two torpedoes at Glatton, one of which failed to detonate, while the second failed to defeat Glatton's anti-torpedo bulge. [22] [23] [24] In the end, Glatton was sunk by 21 inch (533 mm) torpedoes from the destroyer HMS Myngs. [22]
Cossack was sold to the shipbreakers Thos. W. Ward on 12 December 1919 for scrapping at their Preston, Lancashire, works. [6] [25]
The Beagle class was a class of sixteen destroyers of the Royal Navy, all ordered under the 1908-1909 programme and launched in 1909 and 1910. The Beagles served during World War I, particularly during the Dardanelles Campaign of 1915.
The first HMS Zulu was a Tribal class destroyer launched 16 September 1909 at Hawthorn Leslie Shipyard and commissioned in March 1910. She was mined during the First World War, on 27 October 1916 off Dover in a minefield lain by the Imperial German submarine UC-1. Her stern was blown off and sank, but the forward section remained afloat. It was towed into port and attached to the stern of Nubian, which had been torpedoed, to form a new destroyer named HMS Zubian.
HMS Nubian was a Royal Navy Tribal-class destroyer. She was launched in 1909 and torpedoed in 1916. With her bow blown off, the wreck was used to create a new ship by joining the bow of another destroyer of the same class, HMS Zulu. The resulting ship was given the portmanteau name HMS Zubian. She went on to sink the U-boat SM UC-50 in 1918 and was scrapped in 1919.
HMS Ghurka was a Tribal-class destroyer built in 1907 for the Royal Navy. She served as part of the Dover Patrol during the First World War, playing a part in the sinking of the German submarine U-8 in 1915, and was sunk by a German mine in 1917.
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HMS Viking was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy launched in 1909 and sold for scrap in 1919. She was the only destroyer ever to have six funnels.
HMS Mohawk was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Navy launched in 1907 and sold for scrap in 1919.
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HMS Derwent was a Hawthorn Leslie-type River-class destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1901 – 1902 Naval Estimates. Named after the River Derwent in central England, she was the second ship to carry this name.
HMS Myrmidon was one of two Myrmidon-class destroyers which served with the Royal Navy.
HMS Syren was one of two Myrmidon-class destroyers which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched by Palmers in 1900 and served in home waters. Syren ran aground during manoeuvres off Ireland in 1905 and was badly damaged, requiring her bow to be reconstructed. During the First World War she served as part of the Dover Patrol and helped rescue the crew of the civilian steamship Harpalion which had been torpedoed. Syren was sold for scrap in 1920.
HMS Leven was a Fairfield "30-knotter" destroyer of the Royal Navy, later classified as part of the C class. It was built in 1898–1899, and served with the Royal Navy through to the First World War, sinking a German U-boat in 1918. Leven was sold for scrapping in 1920.
HMS TB 11 was a Cricket-class coastal destroyer or torpedo-boat of the British Royal Navy. TB 11 was built by the shipbuilder Yarrow from 1905 to 1907. She was used for local patrol duties in the First World War and was sunk by a German mine in the North Sea on 7 March 1916.
HMS TB 5 was a Cricket-class coastal destroyer or torpedo-boat of the British Royal Navy. TB 5 was built by the shipbuilder J S White from 1905 to 1907. She was used for local patrol duties in the First World War and survived the war. She was sold for scrap in 1920.
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