HMS Hydra (1912)

Last updated

HMS Hydra (1912).jpg
Hydra during World War I
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHydra
Builder John Brown & Company, Clydebank
Yard number406 [1]
Laid down7 February 1911
Launched19 February 1912
CommissionedJune 1912
FateSold for scrap, 9 May 1921
General characteristics
Class and type Acheron-class destroyer
Displacement778 long tons (790  t)
Length246 ft (75 m)
Beam25 ft 8 in (7.8 m)
Draught8 ft 9 in (2.7 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 shafts; 1 steam turbine
Speed27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range1,620  nmi (3,000 km; 1,860 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement70
Armament

HMS Hydra was one of 20 Acheron-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the 1910s. Completed in 1912, the ship participated in World War I and was sold for scrap in 1921.

Contents

Design and description

The Acheron class was a repeat of the preceding Acornclass. The Admiralty provided general specifications, but each shipyard did their own detailed design so that ships often varied in size. [2] The Acherons had an overall length of 246 feet (75 m), a beam of 23 feet 8 inches (7.2 m), and a draught of 8 feet 9 inches (2.7 m). The ships displaced 778 long tons (790  t ) at deep load and their crew numbered 70 officers and ratings. [3]

Hydra was powered by a single Brown-Curtis steam turbine that drove both propeller shafts using steam provided by three 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). The ship reached a speed of 28.1 knots (52.0 km/h; 32.3 mph) from 14,710 shp (10,970 kW) during her sea trials. [4] The Acherons had a range of 1,620 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,860 mi) at a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). [3]

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 abreast the bridge. The destroyers were equipped with a pair of single rotating mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes amidships and carried two reload torpedoes. [5]

Construction and career

Hydra was ordered under the 1910–1911 Naval Programme from John Brown & Company. The ship was laid down at the company's Clydebank shipyard on 7 February 1911, launched on 19 February 1912 and commissioned in June. [6]

The Battle of Dogger Bank

Hydra was with the First Destroyer Flotilla at the Battle of Dogger Bank [7] on 24 January 1915.

The Battle of Jutland

She was present at the Battle of Jutland [8] on 31 May 1916. Along with the rest of the flotilla, she was transferred to the 3rd Battle Squadron, based at Portsmouth. [9]

She collided with a merchant ship on the night of 11 February 1917 in the English Channel. The captain of Hydra was held liable for the collision because, although the other ship showed him a light, he did not perceive that it was on a crossing course. [10]

Mediterranean Service

From 1917 the Third Battle Squadron was deployed to the Mediterranean. Hydra was present at the entry of the Allied Fleet through the Dardanelles on 12 November 1918. [11] On 9 February 1921, Hydra collided with the Royal Navy torpedo boat Z 3 in the Weilingen Channel and sank. Z 3 rescued all 72 of Hydra′s crew. [12] The ship was sold on 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward of Portishead for scrap. [13]

Pennant Numbers

Pennant Number [13] FromTo
H506 December 1914  1 January 1918
H431 January 1918Early 1919
H94Early 19199 May 1921

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Lydiard</i> (1914)

HMS Lydiard was a Laforey-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the 1910s.

<i>Acasta</i>-class destroyer Class of British destroyers

The Acasta class was a class of twenty destroyers built for the Royal Navy under the Naval Programme of 1911 - 1912 that saw service during World War I. They were the last class of Royal Navy destroyers to have mixed names with no systematic theme When the class was designated as "K", names beginning with that letter were allocated to the ships but never used. The class saw extensive wartime service and seven were lost, including four at the Battle of Jutland.

HMS <i>Shark</i> (1912) Acasta-class destroyer

HMS Shark, was an Acasta-class destroyer built in 1912 for the Royal Navy. Shark was sunk during the Battle of Jutland on the evening of 31 May 1916.

HMS <i>Ardent</i> (1913) Acasta-class destroyer

HMS Ardent was one of 20 Acasta-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the 1910s. Completed in 1914 she saw active service in the First World War, and was sunk at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.

HMS <i>Fortune</i> (1913) Acasta-class destroyer

HMS Fortune was an Acasta-class destroyer, and the twenty-first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name. She was launched in 1913 and was sunk at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.

HMS <i>Lizard</i> (1911)

HMS Lizard was an Acheron-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She is named for the Lizard peninsula in the county of Cornwall in England. and was the twelfth ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.

HMS <i>Defender</i> (1911) World War I ship

HMS Defender was an Acheron-class destroyer which was built in 1911, served throughout World War I and was broken up in 1921. She was the fifth ship of the name to serve in the Royal Navy.

HMS <i>Acheron</i> (1911)

HMS Acheron was the name ship of the Acheron-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She is named after the River Acheron, believed in Greek Mythology to be a branch of the River Styx. She was the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.

HMS <i>Phoenix</i> (1911)

HMS Phoenix was an Acheron-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She is named for the mythical bird, and was the fifteenth ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name. She was the only British warship ever to be sunk by the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

HMS <i>Archer</i> (1911)

HMS Archer was one of 20 Acheron-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the 1910s. She was one of the two Yarrow Specials with which the builder was given more freedom in an effort to increase speeds beyond the rest of the class. Completed in 1912 the ship served during the First World War and was sold in 1921.

HMS <i>Druid</i> (1911)

HMS Druid was one of 20 Acheron-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy during the 1910s. Completed in 1912 the ship served during World War I and was sold for scrap in 1921.

HMS Ophelia was an Admiralty M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the First World War, entering service in 1916. The ship served at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May/1 June 1916, and sank a German submarine in 1918. She was sold for scrap in 1921.

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 <i>Hind</i> (1911) Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy from 1911

HMS Hind was an Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that served during World War I and was sold for breaking in 1921. She was the seventeenth Royal Navy ship to be named after the female deer.

HMS <i>Forester</i> (1911) Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Forester was an Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that served during World War I and was sold for breaking in 1921. She was the ninth Royal Navy ship to be named after the traditional craft of forester.

HMS <i>Lapwing</i> (1911)

HMS Lapwing was an Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that served during World War I and was sold for breaking in 1921. She was the seventh Royal Navy ship to be named after Vanellus vanellus, the northern lapwing.

HMS Christopher was an Acasta-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was built by Hawthorn Leslie in 1911–1912. She served throughout the First World War, forming part of the Grand Fleet until 1916 and taking part in the Battle of Jutland. Later in the war she served in the English Channel to protect merchant shipping against attacks by German U-boats. Christopher was sold for scrap in May 1921.

HMS <i>Kempenfelt</i> (1915)

HMS Kempenfelt was a Marksman-class flotilla leader of the British Royal Navy. She was built by the Cammell Laird at their Birkenhead shipyard, with construction starting in 1914 and completed in August 1915. She served through the remainder of the First World War. She was sold for scrap in 1921.

HMS <i>Achates</i> (1912) British naval ship

HMS Achates was an Acasta -class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was built by the Scottish shipbuilder John Brown and was built between 1912 and 1913. Like all Acasta-class destroyers, Achates was armed with three 4-inch (102 mm) guns and two torpedo tubes, with a specified speed of 29 knots.

HMS <i>Laurel</i> (1913) British Laforey-class destroyer

HMS Laurel was a Laforey-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. Launched on 6 May 1913 as HMS Redgauntlet, the ship was renamed on 30 September under an Admiralty order to become one of the first alphabetical class destroyers. On commissioning, the vessel joined the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla and operated as part of the Harwich Force during the First World War. During Battle of Heligoland Bight, Laurel led a flotilla that pursued German torpedo boats, engaging with G194 and G196, and was damaged in action with the cruiser Mainz. The vessel also played a minor role in the Battles of Dogger Bank, Dover Strait and Jutland. With the cessation of hostilities, the ship was placed in reserve and scrapped on 1 November 1921.

References

  1. ↑ "HMS Hydra at the Clyde-built database". Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2009.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ↑ Gardiner & Gray, p. 75
  3. 1 2 Friedman, p. 295
  4. ↑ March, pp. 116-109
  5. ↑ Friedman, pp. 119, 295
  6. ↑ Friedman, p. 306
  7. ↑ "Battle of Dogger Bank - Order of Battle (World War 1 Naval Combat website)" . Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  8. ↑ "Battle of Jutland - Order of Battle (World War 1 Naval Combat website)" . Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  9. ↑ "HMS Hydra at Battleships-Cruisers website" . Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  10. ↑ "Combat Immunity and the Duty of Care - James Rowley judgement (extract)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  11. ↑ S E Brooks. "The Entry of the Allied Fleet through the Dardanelles". Oxford University. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  12. ↑ "Warships in collision". The Times (42643). London. 12 February 1921. col D, p. 9.
  13. 1 2 "Arrowsmith List: Royal Navy WWI Destroyer Pendant Numbers" . Retrieved 1 July 2008.
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.