History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | Harpy |
Namesake | Harpy |
Builder | J. Samuel White, Cowes |
Laid down | 23 April 1909 |
Launched | 27 November 1909 |
Commissioned | 29 July 1910 |
Out of service | 27 November 1921 |
Fate | Sold to the broken up |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Beagle-class destroyer |
Displacement | 972 long tons (988 t) (normal) |
Length | 266 ft (81.1 m) |
Beam | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
Draught | 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m) |
Installed power | 5 x coal-fired White-Forster boilers, 12,000 shp (8,900 kW) |
Propulsion | 3 x steam turbines driving 3 shafts |
Speed | 27 kn (50 km/h; 31 mph) |
Range | 2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement | 96 |
Armament |
|
HMS Harpy was a Beagle-class (from 1913 G-class) destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn (31 miles per hour ; 50 kilometres per hour ) and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by J. Samuel White on the Isle of Wight and launched in 1909, Harpy was initially commissioned the following year into the First Destroyer Flotilla at Portsmouth. In 1912, the warship joined the Third Destroyer Flotilla before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet as part of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla in 1913. As the First World War approached in 1914, the destroyer was based in Alexandra, Egypt, but was swiftly redeployed to Malta, followed, in 1915, by action in the Dardanelles Campaign. The destroyer subsequently served as an escort to convoys based at Buncrana, Ireland. After the Armistice of 1918 that ended the war, Harpy was initially transferred to the Nore and then sold in 1921 to be broken up.
Harpy was one of the Beagle-class destroyers ordered as part of the 1908–1909 shipbuilding programme. [1] [2] The vessels were coal-burning after concerns had been raised about the availability of fuel oil in time of war and the bridge was larger and higher than previous designs. [3] This reduced costs, although it also meant that five boilers were needed, the extra machinery meaning that deck space became more premium. [4] The Beagle class vessels were not built to a standard design, with detailed design being left to the builders of individual ships in accordance with a loose specification, in this case J. Samuel White. [5] In October 1913, as part of a wider renaming of the Royal Navy's warships into classes named alphabetically, the class was renamed as G-class. [6] [a]
Harpy was 275 ft (83.8 m) long, with a beam of 28 ft (8.5 m) and a draught of 16 ft 6 in (5 m). Normal displacement was 972 long tons (988 t ). [8] [9] Five White-Forster boilers fed direct-drive Parsons steam turbines driving three shafts. [10] Two funnels were fitted. The machinery was rated at 12,000 shaft horsepower (8,900 kW ) giving a design speed of 27 kn (31 miles per hour ; 50 kilometres per hour ). [11] During sea trials, the destroyer reached a speed of 27.755 kn (31.940 mph; 51.402 km/h). Up to 226 long tons (230 t) of coal was carried, giving a design range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). [12] The ship had a complement of 96 officers and ratings. [10]
Armament consisted of one 4 in (102 mm) BL Mk VIII gun forward and three 3 in (76 mm) QF 12-pounder 12 cwt guns aft. [b] Torpedo armament consisted of two rotating 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes, one placed forward and the other aft. Two spare torpedoes were carried. [13] [14] [15] On 8 April 1916, the Admiralty approved fitting the destroyer with depth charges. Two depth charge launchers and two charges were initially carried. [16] By June 1918, this has expanded to 16 depth charges launched from Thornycroft throwers and 50 from racks mounted aft. [17]
Harpy was laid down by J. Samuel White at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight with the yard number 1292 on 23 April 1909, and launched on 27 November. [18] The ship cost £114,404. [9] Harpy was the fifth to serve in the Royal Navy named for the monster with the face of a woman and the wings of a bird. [19] The vessel was commissioned at Portsmouth on 29 July 1910. [20] Harpy initially joined the First Destroyer Flotilla but, in 1912, a reorganisation of the Home Fleet resulted in the ships of the Beagle class forming the new Third Destroyer Flotilla. [21] The vessel remained part of the Third Flotilla in March 1913. [22] Shortly afterwards, Harpy was transferred, along with the rest of the class, to the newly-formed Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet. [23] [24]
In 1914, as the First World War approached, Harpy was part of the Third Division of the Fifth Flotilla and based in Alexandra. [25] The destroyer sailed to Malta, although the island had a coal shortage, which restricted the vessel's activity. [26] On 2 August, the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla was involved in the search for the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau in the Mediterranean. On 3 August, the Third Division, which consisted of Beagle, Bulldog, Grasshopper and Harpy, were at Malta. While the Admiralty initially planned that the division reinforce Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge's squadron patrolling the entrance to the Adriatic, Harpy, along with Grasshopper and Grampus, was instead sent to patrol the southern end of the Straits of Messina on 7 October. [27] The attempts to intercept Goeben and Breslau failed, and the two German ships reached Turkey on 10 August. [28] [29]
Harpy spent the next year supporting the naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign with the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron. [30] On 25 May, the destroyer succeeded in driving off a submarine that could have attacked the French battleship Saint Louis. [31] The ship was one of five, including sister ship Renard, that undertook minesweeping in the Dardanelles on 25 and 26 June. Despite heavy fire, the ships achieved achieved their objective in what Rear Admiral John de Robeck, commander of the squadron, described as "a most satisfactory manner". [32]
Harpy stayed with the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron into 1916. The year saw an intensification of submarine action by the Imperial German Navy in the Mediterranean Sea and an increasing demand on destroyers as escorts. In February alone, fifty ships, totalling 101,000 long tons (103,000 t), were sunk. [33] However, the ship also saw other duties, including supporting raids on the Ottoman Empire by irregular troops. On one of these raids near the island of Leros, on 28 September, the commander of the destroyer, Commander H. T. England, was severely injured. [34] The destroyer remained a member of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla within the Mediterranean Fleet. [35] Submarine warfare continued to grow and, by June 1917, the Germans were sinking 142,000 long tons (144,000 t) of shipping in a month. [36] In response, the Admiralty started introducing convoys on major routes escorted by destroyers. [37] By October, Harpy had been transferred to the Northern Division of the Coast of Ireland Station based at Buncrana. [38] The destroyers at Buncrana assisted convoys travelling across the Atlantic Ocean to and from the American industrial complex at Hampton Roads and via Sydney, Nova Scotia, arriving and departing ports on the Clyde and Mersey. [39] The division also provided three escorts every eight days to protect fast convoys travelling to and from Halifax, Nova Scotia. [40] The vessel ended the war as a member of the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla based at Devonport. [41]
After the Armistice that ended the war, the Royal Navy quickly withdrew all pre-war destroyers from active service. [42] By February 1919, Harpy had been transferred to The Nore. [43] However, that deployment did not last long. As the force returned to a peacetime level of strength, both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money. [44] Declared superfluous to operational requirements, Harpy was retired, and, on 27 November 1921, sold to Fryer of Sunderland to be broken up. [45]
Pennant number | Date |
---|---|
D88 | February 1915 [46] |
H19 | January 1918 [47] |
H71 | June 1918 [48] |
H32 | January 1919 [49] |
HMS Beagle was one of sixteen destroyers ordered under the 1908–09 Naval Estimates from John Brown & Company of Clydebank. Named for the English hunting dog, she was the sixth ship to carry this name since it was introduced for a Cruizer Class fir-built, brig-sloop on 8 August 1804 and sold on 21 July 1814. The destroyers of the 1908–09 program would be the last coal-fired destroyers of the Royal Navy. She and her sisters served in the First Destroyer Flotilla then were moved en masse to the Third Destroyer Flotilla and before the start of the Great War to the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla. With the advent of the convoy system they were moved to the Second Destroyer Flotilla. With the Armistice she was laid up then scrapped in 1921.
HMS Foxhound was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn, armed with a 4-inch (102 mm gun and two torpedo tubes. Foxhound was built by John Brown & Company at their Clydebank yard, between 1909 and 1910, being launched on 11 December 1909 and completing in August 1910.
HMS Grasshopper was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn, armed with a 4-inch (102 mm gun and two torpedo tubes. Grasshopper was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at their Govan yard, between 1909 and 1910, being launched on 23 November 1909 and completing in July 1910.
HMS Nicator was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. Launched in February 1916, the destroyer fought in the Battle of Jutland between May and June 1916, operating in support of the British battlecruisers in their action against the German High Seas Fleet. Nicator claimed, along with sister ship Nestor, the destruction of a German torpedo boat, likely to be V27. The destroyer also attacked the German battlecruisers and battleships and, although no hits were recorded, kept the German ships from closing with the British. This was crucial to limiting losses to the British battlecruiser fleet. The vessel was subsequently fitted with paravanes for anti-submarine warfare. After the war, the destroyer was placed in reserve and subsequently sold to be broken up in May 1921.
HMS Mystic was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on the previous L class, capable of higher speed. The vessel, originally named HMS Myrtle but renamed before being launched in 1915, joined the Grand Fleet as part of the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla. The ship was assigned as part of a destroyer screen to protect the British battleships as they sought to destroy the German High Seas Fleet. During the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the destroyer saw action against German light cruisers and, as the evening fell, attacked the German battle line, but recorded no hits. During the following year, the vessel took part in a large anti-submarine patrol, but did not see any German submarines. Later in the war, the ship was transferred to the Coast of Ireland Station at Buncrana and escorted convoys at the start of their journey from ports on the Clyde and Mersey or at the end of their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. After the Armistice in 1918 that marked the end of the First World War, Mystic was placed in reserve before being decommissioned and subsequently sold to be broken up in 1921.
HMS Topaze was a Topaze-class protected or third-class cruiser which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The vessel was the lead ship of the class, also known as the Gem class, which had a more powerful armament and were faster than preceding protected cruisers. Launched on 23 June 1904, Topaze joined the Channel Fleet and often acted as a flotilla leader for the destroyers of the Navy. At the beginning of the First World War, the cruiser operated with the Fifth Battle Squadron, but was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1915. There, the cruiser operated with ships of the Italian Regia Marina to enforce the blockade on Albania and to escort ships carrying Italian troops and supplies across the Adriatic Sea. Topaze escorted shipping in the Indian Ocean and captured the Ottoman Army garrison on the island of Kamaran in 1917, but returned to the Mediterranean before the end of the year. After the Armistice in 1918, the cruiser returned to the United Kingdom and was decommissioned on 7 October 1919.
HMS Hope was the first warship constructed by Swan Hunter and one of 20 Acorn class destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Hope served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet as an escort based at Devonport for most of the war, protecting ships like RMS Aquitania, until being transferred to Malta to serve with the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1917. Hope collided with and sank the destroyer HMS Arno in 1918. After the Armistice, the destroyer continued to serve in Malta under being sold in 1920.
HMS Sheldrake was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy. The destroyer served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Sheldrake served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet as an escort, transferring to Malta to serve with the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1916. The ship once again served as an escort, protecting ships from submarines and mines, including the troopship Ivernia, as well as unsuccessfully attempting to rescue the sloop Nasturtium. After the Armistice, the destroyer was reduced to reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.
HMS Brisk was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Brisk was the first destroyer equipped with two Brown-Curtis steam turbines and two shafts. At the start of the war, the ship served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet. The destroyer spent most of the war in anti-submarine warfare and was upgraded for this purpose with increasing capacity for attack with depth charges. Despite being involved in many actions, the ship did not sink any enemy boats, although the ship did rescue many survivors of ships sunk, including the troop ship SS Mendi, as well as surviving a torpedo attack from the German submarine U-84 and hitting a mine, all in 1917. Having spent most of the war in the seas around the British Isles, Brisk ended the war as part of the Aegean Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. After the Armistice, Brisk was placed in reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.
HMS Redpole was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, the ship served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla, joining the Grand Fleet at the start of the war, and was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1915, joining the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla. Employed as an escort, the ship also undertook other duties, including rescuing the Italian destroyer Benedetto Cairoli in 1918. Redpole ended the war in Gibraltar. After the Armistice, the destroyer was placed in reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.
HMS Staunch was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy. The destroyer served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Staunch acted as escort for the royal yacht Britannia at the Cowes Regatta the following year. At the start of the First World War, the vessel served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet as an escort, transferring to the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1915. As the year closed, Staunch assisted in the evacuation of troops at the end of the Gallipoli campaign. Despite the conditions, the destroyer managed to transport almost an entire battalion of the Worcestershire Regiment to safety. In 1917, while moored off the coast of Deir al-Balah supporting the monitors Raglan, M16 and M29, Staunch was torpedoed by the German submarine U-38. The destroyer sank, with eight sailors killed.
HMS Fury was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class was smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Fury served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla, joining the Grand Fleet at the start of the war. Soon afterwards, in August 1914, the destroyer assisted in the unsuccessful attempt to rescue the stricken dreadnought battleship Audacious. In 1916, the vessel was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, joining the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla. After the Armistice in 1918, the destroyer was placed in reserve. Fury was sold to be broken up in 1921.
HMS Milbrook was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was an improvement on those of the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. The destroyer was launched in 1915 and joined the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet. In 1916, Milbrook responded with the Grand Fleet to the bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft and fought in the Battle of Jutland. During the following year, the warship was transferred to Buncrana to operate under the Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland and, for the remainder of the war, the destroyer escorted convoys that were arriving and departing ports on the Clyde and Mersey to cross the Atlantic. In 1918, the ship was jointly responsible for the destruction of the German submarine UB-124. After the Armistice, Milbrook was placed in reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.
HMS Nemesis was an Acorn-class destroyer that served with the Royal Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy in the First World War. The Acorn class ships were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but were oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Nemesis served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla based at Scapa Flow. The vessel served as part of the Grand Fleet, taking part in exercises, and as an escort deployed at Devonport protecting shipping against submarines. Nemesis was undamaged by enemy action, despite a near-miss from a torpedo launched by the German submarine U-9, but was damaged in a collision with sister ship Nymphe. After a period with the Mediterranean Fleet, in 1917, the destroyer was loaned to the Imperial Japanese Navy with the new name Kanran. Crewed by Japanese sailors, Kanran joined the 11th Japanese Destroyer Division and spent the remainder of the war escorting ships crossing the Mediterranean Sea. After the Armistice, the destroyer was returned to Royal Navy service in 1919 but was reduced to reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.
HMS Mosquito was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagle class were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at their Govan yard and launched in 1910, Mosquito was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1913, and spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean. While participating in the Gallipoli campaign, the destroyer rescued the crew of the French battleship Bouvet, sunk by a naval mine. The vessel was transferred to Buncrana in the north of Ireland in 1917 and acted as an escort to convoys. In 1918, the destroyer helped to rescue survivors from the troopship Tuscania, sunk by a German U-boat. After the Armistice that ended the war, Mosquito was initially transferred to the Nore and then sold in 1920 to be broken up.
HMS Rattlesnake was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagle class were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by Harland & Wolff and launched in 1910, Rattlesnake was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1913, and spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean. In 1914, the ship was based at Malta, where there was an acute shortage of coal, and was sent on coaling expeditions to Bizerta for supplies. While participating in the Dardanelles campaign in 1915, the destroyer assisted the troops of the Australian First Division in both their advance and retreat, using a searchlight and guns to suppress troops of the Ottoman Army. The destroyer ended the war at Buncrana in the north of Ireland. After the Armistice that ended the war, Rattlesnake was initially transferred to Portsmouth and then sold in 1921 to be broken up.
HMS Racoon was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by Harland & Wolff and launched in 1910, Racoon was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1913. In the run up to the First World War, the destroyer was deployed to Durazzo to observe the situation in Albania, but was swiftly redeployed back to Malta. The vessel was sent to protect shipping in the Suez Canal and Red Sea. In 1915, the destroyer served in the Dardanelles Campaign, escorting pre-dreadnought battleships attacking Ottoman defences and minesweepers that were attempting to clear the Dardanelles straits. During these operations, Racoon was damaged while assisting the stricken battleship Irresistible, which subsequently sank. Racoon also supported the Battle of Gully Ravine and landing at Suvla Bay. In 1917, the destroyer was transferred to Buncrana in the north of Ireland and served as a convoy escort against German submarines. Racoon was wrecked during a snowstorm off the Irish coast in 1918.
HMS Renard was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by Cammell Laird and launched in 1909, Renard was initially commissioned into the First Destroyer Flotilla at Portsmouth. In 1912, the warship joined the Third Destroyer Flotilla before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet as part of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla in 1913. As the First World War approached, the destroyer was based in Alexandria Egypt, but was swiftly redeployed to Malta, followed, in 1915, by action in the Dardanelles Campaign. While serving with the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron and its successor the Aegean Squadron, as well as undertaking escort duties, the destroyer supported sorties by irregular troops against the Ottoman Empire. After the Armistice of 1918 that ended the war, Renard was initially transferred to the Nore and then sold in 1920 to be broken up.
HMS Basilisk was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by J. Samuel White and launched in 1910, Basilisk was initially commissioned into the First Destroyer Flotilla at Portsmouth. In 1912, the warship joined the Third Destroyer Flotilla before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet as part of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla in 1913. As the First World War approached, the destroyer was based in Alexandria, Egypt, but was swiftly redeployed to Malta, followed, in 1915, by action in the Dardanelles Campaign. After the Armistice of 1918 that ended the war, Basilisk was initially transferred to the Nore and then sold in 1921 to be broken up.
HMS Savage was a Beagle-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The Beagles were coal-fuelled ships, designed for a speed of 27 kn and armed with a 4 in (102 mm) gun and two torpedo tubes. Built by John I. Thornycroft & Company and launched in 1910, Savage was initially commissioned into the First Destroyer Flotilla at Portsmouth. In 1912, the warship joined the Third Destroyer Flotilla before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet as part of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla in 1913. As the First World War approached, the destroyer was based in Alexandria, Egypt, but was swiftly redeployed to Malta, and was involved in the unsuccessful search for the German warships Goeben and Breslau. After this, Savage was deployed to Port Said to escort troopships to the Suez Canal. The destroyer subsequently returned to the North Sea and was involved in recovering the bodies of the crew from the pre-dreadnought battleship Formidable. After the Armistice of 1918 that ended the war, Savage was initially transferred to the Nore and then sold in 1921 to be broken up.