Design and construction
The 1896–1897 shipbuilding programme of the British Admiralty included orders for 20 torpedo boat destroyers. Of these, 17 were "thirty-knotters", as ordered under the 1894–1895 and 1895–1896 programmes, which had a contract speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). The remaining three destroyers, ordered from Laird (Express), J & G Thomson (Arab) and Thornycroft (Albatross) were "specials", which were required to reach higher speeds. While Thomson's and Thornycroft's destroyers had contract speeds of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph), Laird's design was required to reach a speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). [1] [2]
Express was 239 feet 6 inches (73.00 m) long overall, with a beam of 23 feet 6 inches (7.16 m) and a draught of 14 feet 8 inches (4.47 m). Displacement was 465 long tons (472 t) light and 540 long tons (550 t) full load. Four coal-fired Normand boilers fed steam at 240 pounds per square inch (1,700 kPa) to two triple expansion engines rated at 9,250 indicated horsepower (6,900 kW). [3] Four evenly spaced funnels were fitted. [4] Up to 140 long tons (140 t) of coal were carried, sufficient to give an endurance of 1,470 nautical miles (2,720 km; 1,690 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). [5]
Express carried the specified armament for the thirty-knotters of a QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3 in (76 mm) calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), with a secondary armament of five 6-pounder guns, and two 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. [6] [7] While the ship carried the same armament as normal thirty-knotter destroyers, the more powerful engines needed more coal and hence more stokers were needed to feed the coal to the engines, with Express' crew being 73 officers and men, compared to 63 for standard Laird-built thirty-knotters. [8] [9]
Express was laid down on at Laird's Birkenhead shipyard on 1 December 1896 as Yard number 629, and was launched on 11 December 1897. [3] Express was subject to an extensive series of trials over an 18-month period in an attempt to reach the contracted speed of 33 knots. Although Lairds managed to drive the ship's machinery to up to 10,012 indicated horsepower (7,466 kW), well in excess of the rated 9,250 indicated horsepower (6,900 kW), and experimented with different propellers, Express failed to reach the required speeds. It was eventually decided by the Admiralty to accept Express despite this failure in recognition of Laird's great efforts and expense in trying to reach the over-optimistic requirement, and the fact that forcing the ship's machinery further was likely to cause excessive wear. [10] Express was delivered to Devonport for further trials in August 1902, [11] and eventually commissioned later that year.
In 1913 Express, along with all other surviving "30 knotter" vessels with 4 funnels, were classified by the Admiralty as the B-class to provide some system to the naming of HM destroyers (at the same time, the 3-funnelled, "30 knotters" became the C-class and the 2-funnelled ships the D-class).
Service
Express served in British waters throughout her career. [10] Express collided with the stores ship RFA Aquarius in December 1907 at Lamlash, Isle of Arran, Scotland. [12] In 1909 Express was part of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla, based at Devonport, and was still part of that Flotilla in 1912. [13] On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyers were to be grouped into classes designated by letters based on contract speed and appearance. Four-funneled, 30-knotter destroyers were grouped as the B Class, and Express was assigned to this class. [14] [15] In 1912, it was decided to allocate older destroyers to dedicated Patrol Flotillas, with Express being allocated to the Seventh Flotilla, based at Devonport. [16] [13] On 8 May 1913, she struck the British passenger-cargo ship Leicester in the dock at Grimsby and damaged her. [17] Express remained part of the Seventh Flotilla until November 1913, [18] but by January 1914 had transferred to the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla, another patrol flotilla based at Chatham. [19]
Express remained part of the Eighth Flotilla at the outbreak of the First World War, with the Flotilla transferring to the Forth Estuary. [20] [21] Express, still part of the Eighth Flotilla, was undergoing a long refit in January 1917, [22] but in June 1917 she transferred to the East Coast Convoy Flotilla, based on the Humber, which became part of the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla in July. [23] [24] [25] [26] By December that year, Express had moved to the Northern Division of the Coast of Ireland Station, [27] based at Larne and carrying out patrols in the North Channel between Scotland and the North of Ireland. [28] Express remained operating on the North Channel Patrol until the end of the war. [29]
Express was on the Sale List in December 1919, [30] and was sold for scrapping to G Clarkson of Whitby on 17 March 1920. [10]
HMS Arab was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was laid down by J & G Thomson at Clydebank and completed by John Brown & Company who took over the yard.
HMS Wolverine was a Beagle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy launched on 15 January 1910. She was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead.
HMS Quail was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was launched by Laird Brothers, Birkenhead, on 24 September 1895. She served in home waters and the West Indies for several years, her robust structure proved by surviving at least one heavy collision. She served during the Great War, and was sold off after the hostilities end, on 23 July 1919. She gave her name to the four strong group of Quail-class destroyers.
HMS Thrasher was a "thirty-knotter" torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1897. One of four Quail-class destroyers, she served in the First World War, sinking the German submarine UC-39 in 1917, and was sold off after hostilities ended.
HMS Wolf was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1897.
HMS Seal was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1897.
HMS Panther was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1897.
HMS Locust was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was launched by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, on 5 December 1896. She served in the Mediterranean between 1902 and 1906, and was used for patrol and escort duties during the First World War
HMS Griffon was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1896.
HMS Earnest was an "thirty-knotter" torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was built by Laird, Son & Company at their Birkenhead shipyard as one of six Earnest-class destroyers ordered as part of the Royal Navy's 1895–1896 construction programme, which were later classified as members of the B-class. Earnest was launched on 7 November 1896 and was completed in November 1897.
HMS Lively was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was built speculatively by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, pre-empting further orders for vessels of this type, and was bought by the navy in 1901.
HMS Orwell was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was built by Laird, Son & Company, and served from 1900 until 1920.
HMS Zephyr was one of two Fervent-class destroyers which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched on 10 May 1895 from Hanna, Donald & Wilson at Paisley, Scotland. She served in home waters, and was sold in 1920.
HMS Stag was a two funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates. She was the sixth ship to carry this name. She was launched in 1899 and was first assigned to the Mediterranean. She served in the North Sea and Irish Sea during World War I, and was sold for breaking in 1921.
HMS Myrmidon was one of two Myrmidon-class destroyers which served with the Royal Navy.
HMS Dove was a three funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896–1897 Naval Estimates. She was the ninth ship to carry the name.
HMS Owl was an Acasta-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, launched in 1913. The destroyer was part of the Grand Fleet during the First World War and took part in the Battle of Jutland. Owl survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1921.
HMS Leopard was a Vickers three funnel - 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1895 – 1896 Naval Estimates. She was the ninth ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1635 for a 34-gun ship, captured by the Dutch in 1653.
HMS Ouse was a Laird type River-class destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1903 – 1904 Naval Estimates. Named after the River Ouse in north east England near the city of York, she was the first ship to carry this name in the Royal Navy.
HMS Ostrich was a Fairfield three-funnel, 30-knot torpedo boat destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1898 – 1899 Naval Estimates. In 1913 she was grouped as a C-class destroyer. She was the first Royal Navy ship to carry this name. She spent most of her operational career in home waters, operating with the Channel Fleet as part of the Portsmouth Instructional Flotilla, and was sold for breaking in 1920.
United Kingdom
