HMS Norseman (1916)

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History
Naval ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Norseman
OrderedFebruary 1915
Builder Doxford, Sunderland
Launched15 August 1916
CompletedNovember 1916
Out of service9 May 1921
FateSold to be broken up
General characteristics
Class & type Admiralty M-class destroyer
Displacement
Length265 ft (81 m) (p.p.)
Beam26 ft 8 in (8 m)
Draught8 ft 11 in (3 m)
Installed power3 Yarrow boilers, 25,000  shp (19,000  kW)
Propulsion Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 3 shafts
Speed34 knots (63.0 km/h; 39.1 mph)
Range2,530  nmi (4,690 km; 2,910 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement80
Armament

HMS Norseman was a Repeat Admiralty M-class destroyer which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the previous L-class, capable of higher speed. The vessel was launched in 1916 and joined the Grand Fleet. Norseman joined the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla which, in 1917, participated in a large anti-submarine warfare operation in the North Sea. The sortie led to three German submarines being sunk, although Norseman was not directly involved in these attacks. In 1918, the flotilla was involved in one of the final sorties of the Grand Fleet, but again the destroyer saw no action at the time. After the Armistice that marked the end of the First World War, Norseman was placed in reserve, decommissioned and, in 1921, sold to be broken up.

Contents

Design and development

Norseman was one of sixteen Repeat Admiralty M-class destroyer destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in February 1915 as part of the Fourth War Construction Programme. [1] The M-class was an improved version of the earlier L-class destroyers, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67  km/h ; 41  mph ) and, although the eventual design did not achieve this, the greater performance was appreciated by the navy. It transpired that the German ships did not exist. [2] The Repeat M class differed from the prewar vessels in having a raked stem and design improvements based on wartime experience. [3]

The destroyer had a length of 265 ft (80.8 m) between perpendiculars and 273 ft 4 in (83.3 m) overall, with a beam of 26 ft 8 in (8.1 m) and draught of 8 ft 11 in (2.7 m). [4] Normal displacement was 985 long tons (1,001  t ) and 1,021 long tons (1,037 t) at full load. [5] Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtis steam turbines rated at 25,000 shaft horsepower (19,000  kW ), driving three shafts and exhausting through three funnels. [3] Design speed was 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph). A total of 228 long tons (232 t) of oil was carried, which gave a design range of 2,530 nautical miles (4,690 km; 2,910 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). [4] The ship had a complement of 80 officers and ratings. [6]

Norseman had an armament that included three single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV guns on the centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels. Torpedo armament consisted of two twin torpedo tubes for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes located aft of the funnels. [7] [5] One single 2-pdr 40 mm (1.6 in) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun was carried. [4] The destroyer was fitted with racks and storage for depth charges. [8] Initially, only two depth charges were carried but the number increased in service and by 1918, the vessel was carrying between 30 and 50 depth charges. [9]

Construction and career

Laid down at their shipyard in Sunderland, Norseman was launched by William Doxford & Sons on 15 August 1916 and completed during November the same year. [3] The destroyer was the first Royal Navy ship to bear the name. [10] On commissioning, Norseman was deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla based at Rosyth. [11] [12] Between 1 and 10 October 1917, the flotilla took part in a large exercise to detect and trap German submarines in the North Sea. [13] Although Norseman was not directly involved, three enemy boats were sunk in the operation. [14] The flotilla took part in the Royal Navy's engagement with one of the final sorties of the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, on 24 April 1918, although the two fleets did not actually meet and the destroyer saw no action. [15]

After the Armistice that ended the war on 11 November 1918, the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money. [16] Norseman was placed in reserve with a reduced company on 15 March 1919. [17] The harsh conditions of wartime service, exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not galvanised and operations often required high speed in high seas, meant that the destroyer was worn out and ready for retirement. [18] Norseman was decommissioned, and sold to Thos. W. Ward at Grays, on 9 May 1921 to be broken up. [19]

Pennant numbers

Pennant Number Date
G70September 1915 [20]
F13January 1917 [21]
F06January 1918 [22]
G51March 1918 [20]
H22November 1918 [23]
F82January 1919 [24]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ McBride 1991, p. 45.
  2. ↑ Friedman 2009, p. 132.
  3. 1 2 3 Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 109.
  4. 1 2 3 Friedman 2009, p. 296.
  5. 1 2 March 1966, p. 174.
  6. ↑ Preston 1985, p. 76.
  7. ↑ Preston 1985, pp. 76, 80.
  8. ↑ Friedman 2009, p. 151.
  9. ↑ Friedman 2009, p. 152.
  10. ↑ Manning & Walker 1959, p. 318.
  11. ↑ "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. January 1917 – via National Library of Scotland.
  12. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939, p. 265.
  13. ↑ Newbolt 1931, p. 145.
  14. ↑ Newbolt 1931, p. 149.
  15. ↑ Newbolt 1931, p. 287.
  16. ↑ Moretz 2002, p. 79.
  17. ↑ "614 Norseman", The Navy List, p. 817, July 1920, retrieved 9 August 2025– via National Library of Scotland
  18. ↑ Preston 1985, p. 80.
  19. ↑ Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 246.
  20. 1 2 Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 65.
  21. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 46.
  22. ↑ Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 45.
  23. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 71.
  24. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 52.

Bibliography

  • Bush, Steve; Warlow, Ben (2021). Pendant Numbers of the Royal Navy: A Complete History of the Allocation of Pendant Numbers to Royal Navy Warships & Auxiliaries. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-526793-78-2.
  • Colledge, J.J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy. London: Chatham Press. ISBN   978-1-93514-907-1.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN   978-0-71100-380-4.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84832-049-9.
  • Manning, Thomas Davys; Walker, Charles Frederick (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam. OCLC   780274698.
  • 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.
  • McBride, Keith (1991). "British 'M' Class Destroyers of 1913–14". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1991. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 34–49. ISBN   978-0-85177-582-1.
  • Monograph No. 35: Home Waters Part IX: 1st May 1917 to 31st July 1917 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XIX. Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1939.
  • Moretz, Joseph (2002). The Royal Navy and the Capital Ship in the Interwar Period. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-0-71465-196-5.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1931). Naval Operations: Volume V. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC   220475309.
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969). Jane's Fighting Ships 1919. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. OCLC   907574860.
  • Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN   978-0-85177-245-5.
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