Sunfish-class destroyer

Ranger
Class overview
Name	Sunfish class
Builders	Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Handy class
Succeeded by	Rocket class
Built	1894–1896
In commission	1896–1920
Completed	3
Scrapped	3
General characteristics
Type	Torpedo boat destroyer
Propulsion	8× Yarrow boilers, 4,000 hp (2,983 kW)
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Complement	53
Armament	1 × 12 pounder gun 2 × torpedo tubes

The Sunfish-class destroyers, also referred to as Opossum-class destroyers, ^[1] was a group of three torpedo boat destroyers which served with the Royal Navy from the 1890s to the 1920s. They were all built by the Hebburn-on-Tyne shipyard of Hawthorn Leslie.

Design

Under the 1893–1894 Naval Estimates, the British Admiralty placed orders for 36 torpedo-boat destroyers, all to be capable of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph), the "27-knotters", as a follow-on to the six prototype "26-knotters" ordered in the previous 1892–1893 Estimates. As was typical for torpedo craft at the time, the Admiralty left detailed design to the builders, laying down only broad requirements. ^{[2] [3]}

Powered by 8 Yarrow boilers, ^[4] this was the same 8 boiler configuration originally used on HMS Hornet. ^[5] The ships produced 4,000  hp (3,000 kW) and could make 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). They were armed with one twelve pounder gun and two torpedo tubes and carried a complement of 53 officers and men.

History

Ordered under the 1893-94 Programme, the contract was placed on 7 February 1894. All three "turtle-back" destroyers were laid down in 1894, launched in 1895 and completed in 1896.

In September 1913 all three, like the other surviving 27-knotter destroyers, were re-classed as A Class destroyers.

They served in Home waters throughout the First World War, and all three were sold for breaking up in 1920.

Ships in class

• HMS Sunfish
• HMS Opossum
• HMS Ranger

See also

• A-class destroyer (1913)

Bibliography

• Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-133-5. ^[2]
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN   978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC   67375475.
• Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-84832-049-9.
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-245-5.
• Lyon, David (2001) [1996]. The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN   1-84067-364-8.
• Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. Putnam & Co. OCLC   6470051. ^[3]
• 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.

References

1. "Opossum Class British Destroyers". worldnavalships.com. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
2. Chesneau, Roger (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860-1905. Mayflower Books. p. 87. ISBN   978-90-70043-54-4.
3. Manning, Thomas Davys (1961). The British Destroyer. Putnam. p. 39.
4. Lyon, David (1996). The First Destroyers. Naval Institute Press. p. 92. ISBN   978-1-55750-271-1.
5. Lyon, David (1996). The First Destroyers. Naval Institute Press. p. 54. ISBN   978-1-55750-271-1.